Semiconductor device

ABSTRACT

As a display device has a higher definition, the number of pixels, gate lines, and signal lines are increased. When the number of the gate lines and the signal lines are increased, there occurs a problem that it is difficult to mount an IC chip including a driver circuit for driving the gate and signal lines by bonding or the like, whereby manufacturing cost is increased. A pixel portion and a driver circuit for driving the pixel portion are provided over the same substrate, and at least part of the driver circuit includes a thin film transistor using an oxide semiconductor interposed between gate electrodes provided above and below the oxide semiconductor. The pixel portion and the driver portion are provided over the same substrate, whereby manufacturing cost can be reduced.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a semiconductor device using an oxidesemiconductor and a method for manufacturing the semiconductor device.

2. Description of the Related Art

A thin film transistor formed over a flat plate such as a glasssubstrate is manufactured using amorphous silicon or polycrystallinesilicon, as typically seen in a liquid crystal display device. A thinfilm transistor manufactured using amorphous silicon has low fieldeffect mobility, but such a transistor can be formed over a glasssubstrate with a larger area. On the other hand, a thin film transistormanufactured using polycrystalline silicon has high field effectmobility, but a crystallization step such as laser annealing isnecessary and such a transistor is not always suitable for a largerglass substrate.

In view of the foregoing, attention has been drawn to a technique bywhich a thin film transistor is manufactured using an oxidesemiconductor, and such a transistor is applied to an electronic deviceor an optical device. For example, Patent Document 1 and Patent Document2 disclose a technique by which a thin film transistor is manufacturedusing zinc oxide or an In—Ga—Zn—O-based oxide semiconductor as an oxidesemiconductor film and such a transistor is used as a switching elementor the like of an image display device.

[Reference]

-   [Patent Document 1] Japanese Published Patent Application No.    2007-123861-   [Patent Document 2] Japanese Published Patent Application No.    2007-096055

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The field effect mobility of a thin film transistor in which a channelformation region is provided in an oxide semiconductor is higher thanthat of a thin film transistor using amorphous silicon. The oxidesemiconductor film can be formed by a puttering method or the like at atemperature of 300° C. or lower. Its manufacturing process is easierthan that of a thin film transistor using polycrystalline silicon.

Such an oxide semiconductor is expected to be used for forming a thinfilm transistor over a glass substrate, a plastic substrate, or thelike, and to be applied to a display device such as a liquid crystaldisplay device, an electroluminescent display device, or electronicpaper.

When the size of a display region of a display device is increased, thenumber of pixels is increased and thus the number of gate lines andsignal lines is increased.

In addition, as a display device has a higher definition, the number ofpixels is increased and thus the number of gate lines and signal linesis increased. When the number of the gate lines and the signal lines isincreased, it is difficult to mount an IC chip including a drivercircuit for driving the gate lines and the signal lines by bonding orthe like, whereby manufacturing cost is increased.

Therefore, it is an object to reduce manufacturing cost by employing athin film transistor using an oxide semiconductor in at least part of adriver circuit for driving a pixel portion.

In the case of employing a thin film transistor using an oxidesemiconductor in at least part of a driver circuit for driving a pixelportion, high dynamic characteristics (on characteristics or frequencycharacteristics (referred to as f characteristics)) are required for thethin film transistor. It is another object to provide a thin filmtransistor having high dynamic characteristics (on characteristics) andto provide a driver circuit which enables high-speed operation.

In addition, it is an object of an embodiment of the present inventionto provide a semiconductor device provided with a highly reliable thinfilm transistor in which an oxide semiconductor layer is used for achannel.

Gate electrodes are provided above and below an oxide semiconductorlayer to realize improvement of on characteristics and reliability of athin film transistor.

Further, by controlling gate voltage applied to the upper and lower gateelectrodes, threshold voltage can be controlled. The upper and lowergate electrodes may be electrically connected to each other so as tohave the same potential, or the upper and lower gate electrodes may beconnected to different wirings so as to have different potentials. Forexample, when the threshold voltage is set at 0 or close to 0 to reducedriving voltage, reduction of power consumption can be achieved.Alternatively, when the threshold voltage is set positive, the thin filmtransistor can function as an enhancement type transistor. Furtheralternatively, when the threshold voltage is set negative, the thin filmtransistor can function as a depletion type transistor.

For example, an inverter circuit including a combination of theenhancement type transistor and the depletion type transistor(hereinafter, referred to as an EDMOS circuit) can be used for a drivercircuit. The driver circuit includes at least a logic circuit portion,and a switch portion or a buffer portion. The logic circuit portion hasa circuit structure including the above EDMOS circuit. Further, a thinfilm transistor in which large on current can flow is preferably usedfor the switch portion or the buffer portion. A depletion typetransistor or a thin film transistor including gate electrodes above andbelow an oxide semiconductor layer is used.

Thin film transistors having different structures can be manufacturedover the same substrate without greatly increasing the number of steps.For example, the EDMOS circuit using the thin film transistor includinggate electrodes above and below the oxide semiconductor layer may beformed in the driver circuit for high-speed driving, and a thin filmtransistor including a gate electrode only below the oxide semiconductorlayer may be used for a pixel portion.

Note that an n-channel TFT whose threshold voltage is positive isreferred to as an enhancement type transistor, and an n-channel TFTwhose threshold voltage is negative is referred to as a depletion typetransistor throughout this specification.

Examples of a material for the gate electrode provided above the oxidesemiconductor layer include an element selected from aluminum (Al),copper (Cu), titanium (Ti), tantalum (Ta), tungsten (W), molybdenum(Mo), chromium (Cr), neodymium (Nd), and scandium (Sc), and an alloycontaining any of the above elements as its component, and anyconductive film can be used without particular limitation.

Further, the gate electrode is not limited to a single layer structurecontaining any of the above elements, and can have a stacked structureof two or more layers.

As a material for the gate electrode provided above the oxidesemiconductor layer, the same material (such as a transparent conductivefilm in the case of a transmissive display device) as that of a pixelelectrode can be used. For example, the gate electrode provided abovethe oxide semiconductor layer can be formed in the same step as a stepfor forming the pixel electrode which is electrically connected to thethin film transistor in the pixel portion. Consequently, the thin filmtransistor provided with the gate electrodes above and below the oxidesemiconductor layer can be formed without greatly increasing the numberof steps. In addition, the gate electrode is provided above the oxidesemiconductor layer, whereby in a bias-temperature stress test(hereinafter, referred to as a BT test) for examining reliability of athin film transistor, the amount of change in threshold voltage of thethin film transistor between before and after the BT test can bereduced. That is, the gate electrode is provided above the oxidesemiconductor layer, whereby reliability can be improved.

One embodiment of the invention disclosed in this specification is asemiconductor device comprising a first gate electrode over aninsulating surface; a first insulating layer over the first gateelectrode; a source electrode and a drain electrode over the firstinsulating layer; an oxide semiconductor layer over the source electrodeand the drain electrode; a second insulating layer covering the oxidesemiconductor layer; and a second gate electrode over the secondinsulating layer, wherein the oxide semiconductor layer is formed overthe first insulating layer and overlaps with the first gate electrode,at least part of the oxide semiconductor layer is provided between thesource electrode and the drain electrode, and the second gate electrodeoverlaps with the oxide semiconductor layer and the first gateelectrode.

With the above structure, at least one of the above objects is achieved.

In the above structure, a width of the second gate electrode is madelarger than a width of the first gate electrode, whereby voltage can beapplied to the whole oxide semiconductor layer from the second gateelectrode.

Alternatively, in the above structure, when a width of the first gateelectrode is smaller than a width of the second gate electrode, an areaof the first gate electrode which overlaps with the source electrode andthe drain electrode is reduced, so that parasitic capacitance can bereduced. Further alternatively, a structure in which a width of thesecond gate electrode is made smaller than a distance between the sourceelectrode and the drain electrode so that the second gate electrode doesnot overlap with the source electrode and the drain electrode, therebyfurther reducing the parasitic capacitance may be employed.

Further, a manufacturing method of the above structure has a feature.The manufacturing method is a method for manufacturing a semiconductordevice, comprising the steps of forming a first gate electrode over aninsulating surface; forming a first insulating layer over the first gateelectrode; forming a source electrode and a drain electrode over thefirst insulating layer; performing plasma treatment on the firstinsulating layer, the source electrode, and the drain electrode; formingan oxide semiconductor layer over the source electrode and the drainelectrode; forming a second insulating layer covering the oxidesemiconductor layer; and forming a second gate electrode over the secondinsulating layer. In this manufacturing method, the second gateelectrode is formed of the same material and the same mask as a pixelelectrode, whereby the semiconductor device can be manufactured withoutgreatly increasing the number of steps.

Another embodiment of the invention is a semiconductor device comprisinga pixel portion and a driver circuit, wherein the pixel portion includesat least a first thin film transistor having a first oxide semiconductorlayer, the driver circuit includes at least an EDMOS circuit in which asecond thin film transistor having a second oxide semiconductor layerand a third thin film transistor having a third oxide semiconductorlayer are included, the third thin film transistor includes a first gateelectrode below the third oxide semiconductor layer and a second gateelectrode above the third oxide semiconductor layer, and at least partof the third oxide semiconductor layer is provided between a sourceelectrode and a drain electrode, and the second gate electrode overlapswith the third oxide semiconductor layer and the first gate electrode.

In the above structure, when the first thin film transistor in the pixelportion is electrically connected to a pixel electrode and the pixelelectrode is formed of the same material as the second gate electrode inthe driver circuit, the semiconductor device can be manufactured withoutincreasing the number of steps.

In the above structure, when the first thin film transistor in the pixelportion is electrically connected to a pixel electrode and the pixelelectrode is formed of a material different from the second gateelectrode in the driver circuit, for example, when the pixel electrodeis a transparent conductive film and the second gate electrode is analuminum film, resistance of the second gate electrode in the drivercircuit can be reduced.

Further, a so-called dual-gate structure is provided, in which the thirdoxide semiconductor layer in the driver circuit overlaps with the firstgate electrode with the first insulating layer interposed therebetweenand also overlaps with the second gate electrode with the secondinsulating layer interposed therebetween.

As a semiconductor device having a driver circuit, besides a liquidcrystal display device, a light-emitting display device using alight-emitting element and a display device using an electrophoreticdisplay element which is also referred to as electronic paper can begiven.

Note that a “display device” in this specification means an imagedisplay device, a light-emitting device, or a light source (including alighting device). Further, the display device includes any of thefollowing modules in its category: a module including a connector suchas an flexible printed circuit (FPC), a tape automated bonding (TAB)tape, or a tape carrier package (TCP); a module having a TAB tape or aTCP which is provided with a printed wiring board at the end thereof;and a module having an integrated circuit (IC) which is directly mountedon a display element by a chip on glass (COG) method.

In a light-emitting display device using a light-emitting element, aplurality of thin film transistors are included in a pixel portion, anda portion in which a gate electrode of a thin film transistor iselectrically connected to a source wiring or a drain wiring of anothertransistor is included in the pixel portion.

Since a thin film transistor is easily broken due to static electricityor the like, a protective circuit for protecting a driver circuit ispreferably provided over the same substrate for a gate line or a sourceline. The protective circuit is preferably formed using a non-linearelement including an oxide semiconductor.

The oxide semiconductor used in this specification is a thin filmexpressed by InMO₃(ZnO)_(m) (m>0), and a thin film transistor using thethin film as a semiconductor layer is manufactured. Note that M denotesone metal element or a plurality of metal elements selected from Ga, Fe,Ni, Mn, and Co. For example, M is Ga in some cases; meanwhile, Mcontains the above metal element such as Ni or Fe in addition to Ga (Gaand Ni or Ga and Fe) in other cases. Further, the above oxidesemiconductor may contain Fe or Ni, another transitional metal element,or an oxide of the transitional metal as an impurity element in additionto the metal element contained as M. In this specification, this thinfilm is also referred to as an In—Ga—Zn—O-based non-single-crystal film.

After the In—Ga—Zn—O-based non-single-crystal film is formed by asputtering method, it is heated at 200° C. to 500° C., typically 300° C.to 400° C., for 10 to 100 minutes. Note that an amorphous structure isobserved in the In—Ga—Zn—O-based non-single-crystal film analyzed by XRDanalysis.

An oxide semiconductor typified by the In—Ga—Zn—O-basednon-single-crystal film is a material having a wide energy gap (Eg);therefore, even if two gate electrodes are provided above and below anoxide semiconductor layer, increase of off current can be suppressed.

Note that the ordinal numbers such as “first” and “second” in thisspecification are used for convenience and do not denote the order ofsteps and the stacking order of layers. In addition, the ordinal numbersin this specification do not denote particular names which specify thepresent invention.

By forming the thin film transistor using the oxide semiconductorinterposed between the two gate electrodes provided above and below theoxide semiconductor in a peripheral circuit such as a gate line drivercircuit or a source line driver circuit, or a pixel portion,manufacturing cost is reduced.

With the thin film transistor using the oxide semiconductor interposedbetween the two gate electrodes provided above and below the oxidesemiconductor, in a BT test, the amount of change in threshold voltageof the thin film transistor between before and after the BT test can bereduced. That is, the thin film transistor includes the oxidesemiconductor interposed between the two gate electrodes provided aboveand below the oxide semiconductor, whereby reliability of the thin filmtransistor can be improved.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the accompanying drawings:

FIGS. 1A, 1B, and 1C are cross-sectional views illustrating an exampleof a display device of Embodiment 1, another example of a display deviceof Embodiment 1, and another example of a display device of Embodiment1, respectively.

FIGS. 2A, 2B, and 2C are a cross-sectional view, an equivalent circuitdiagram, and a top view of a semiconductor device of Embodiment 2,respectively.

FIGS. 3A and 3B are block diagrams illustrating a whole display deviceof Embodiment 3.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating arrangement of a wiring, an inputterminal, and the like in a display device of Embodiment 3.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating a structure of a shift registercircuit.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a flip-flop circuit.

FIG. 7 is a view illustrating a layout view (a top view) of a flip-flopcircuit.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a timing chart for showing operation ofa shift register circuit.

FIGS. 9A to 9C are views illustrating a method for manufacturing asemiconductor device of Embodiment 4.

FIGS. 10A to 10C are views illustrating a method for manufacturing asemiconductor device of Embodiment 4.

FIG. 11 is a view illustrating a method for manufacturing asemiconductor device of Embodiment 4.

FIG. 12 is a view illustrating a method for manufacturing asemiconductor device of Embodiment 4.

FIG. 13 is a view illustrating a method for manufacturing asemiconductor device of Embodiment 4.

FIG. 14 is a view illustrating a semiconductor device of Embodiment 4.

FIGS. 15A1, 15A2, 15B1, and 15B2 are views illustrating semiconductordevices of Embodiment 4.

FIG. 16 is a view illustrating a semiconductor device of Embodiment 4.

FIG. 17 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a semiconductor device ofEmbodiment 5.

FIG. 18 is a diagram illustrating a pixel equivalent circuit of asemiconductor device of Embodiment 6.

FIGS. 19A to 19C are cross-sectional views illustrating semiconductordevices of Embodiment 6.

FIGS. 20A and 20B are a top view and a cross-sectional view illustratinga semiconductor device of Embodiment 6, respectively.

FIGS. 21A1 and 21A2 are top views and FIG. 21B is a cross-sectional viewillustrating a semiconductor device of Embodiment 7.

FIG. 22 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a semiconductor device ofEmbodiment 7.

FIGS. 23A to 23D are external views illustrating examples of electronicdevices.

FIGS. 24A and 24B are external views illustrating examples of atelevision device and a digital photo frame, respectively.

FIGS. 25A and 25B are external views illustrating examples of cellularphones.

FIG. 26 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a semiconductor device ofEmbodiment 9.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Embodiments will be described below with reference to the accompanyingdrawings. Note that the invention to be disclosed in this specificationis not limited to the description of the embodiments given below, and itis obvious to those skilled in the art that the modes and details can bemodified in various ways without departing from the spirit of theinvention. Therefore, the present invention should not be interpreted asbeing limited to description in the embodiments below.

(Embodiment 1)

FIG. 1A illustrates an example in which a first thin film transistor 430used for a driver circuit and a second thin film transistor 170 used fora pixel portion are provided over the same substrate. Note that FIG. 1Aillustrates an example of a cross-sectional view of a display device.

The pixel portion and the driver circuit are formed over the samesubstrate. In the pixel portion, the second thin film transistors 170which are enhancement type transistors arranged in a matrix form areeach used for switching on/off of voltage application to a pixelelectrode 110. The second thin film transistor 170 arranged in the pixelportion is formed using an oxide semiconductor layer 103. As forelectric characteristics of the second thin film transistor, on/offratio is 10⁹ or more at a gate voltage of ±20 V; therefore, displaycontrast can be improved, and further, leakage current is small, wherebylow-power-consumption driving can be realized. The on/off ratio is aratio of on current to off current (I_(on)/I_(off)), and the higher thevalue of the I_(on)/I_(off) is, the better switching characteristics is.Thus, high on/off ratio contributes to improvement of display contrast.Note that on current is current which flows between a source electrodeand a drain electrode when a transistor is in an on state. Meanwhile,off current is current which flows between the source electrode and thedrain electrode when the transistor is in an off state. For example, inan n-channel transistor, the off current is current which flows betweena source electrode and a drain electrode when gate voltage is lower thanthreshold voltage of the transistor. Therefore, an enhancement typetransistor is preferably used for the pixel portion to achieve highcontrast and low-power-consumption driving.

In the driver circuit, at least one thin film transistor 430 including afirst gate electrode 401 below an oxide semiconductor layer 405 and asecond gate electrode 470 above the oxide semiconductor layer 405 isused. The second gate electrode 470 can also be called a back-gateelectrode. By forming the back-gate electrode, in a bias-temperaturestress test (hereinafter, referred to as a BT test) for examiningreliability of a thin film transistor, the amount of change in thresholdvoltage of the thin film transistor between before and after the BT testcan be reduced.

A structure of the thin film transistor 430 is described with referenceto FIG. 1A. The first gate electrode 401 provided over a substrate 400having an insulating surface is covered with a first gate insulatinglayer 403. A first wiring 409 and a second wiring 410 are provided overthe first gate insulating layer 403 overlapping with the first gateelectrode 401. The oxide semiconductor layer 405 is provided over thefirst wiring 409 and the second wiring 410 which function as a sourceelectrode and a drain electrode. A second gate insulating layer 412 isprovided so as to cover the oxide semiconductor layer 405. Further, thesecond gate electrode 470 is provided over the second gate insulatinglayer 412.

Further, the first gate electrode 401 and the second gate electrode 470may be electrically connected to each other so as to have the samepotential. When the first gate electrode 401 and the second gateelectrode 470 have the same potential, gate voltage can be applied fromupper and lower sides of the oxide semiconductor layer, so that theamount of current which flows in an on state can be increased.

Further, when a control signal line for shifting the threshold voltageto a negative value is electrically connected to either the first gateelectrode 401 or the second gate electrode 470, a depletion type TFT canbe formed.

Alternatively, when a control signal line for shifting the thresholdvoltage to a positive value is electrically connected to either thefirst gate electrode 401 or the second gate electrode 470, anenhancement type TFT can be formed.

Further, there is no particular limitation on a combination of two thinfilm transistors used for the driver circuit, and a combination of athin film transistor including one gate electrode as the depletion typeTFT and a thin film transistor including two gate electrodes as theenhancement type TFT may be employed. In that case, a thin filmtransistor in the pixel portion has a structure in which gate electrodesare provided above and below the oxide semiconductor layer.

Alternatively, the thin film transistor in the pixel portion may have astructure in which gate electrodes are provided above and below theoxide semiconductor layer, and the enhancement type TFT and thedepletion type TFT in the driver circuit may each have a structure inwhich gate electrodes are provided above and below the oxidesemiconductor layer. In that case, a structure in which a control signalline for controlling the threshold voltage is electrically connected toeither of the upper and lower gate electrodes and the connected gateelectrode controls the threshold voltage is employed.

Note that in FIG. 1A, the second gate electrode 470 is formed of thesame material as the pixel electrode 110 in the pixel portion, forexample, using a transparent conductive film in the case of atransmissive liquid crystal display device, in order to reduce thenumber of steps. However, there is no particular limitation on thesecond gate electrode 470. In addition, an example in which a width ofthe second gate electrode 470 is larger than a width of the first gateelectrode 401 and also larger than a width of the oxide semiconductorlayer is illustrated; however, there is no particular limitation on thewidth of the second gate electrode 470.

FIG. 1B illustrates an example different from FIG. 1A in the materialand the width of the second gate electrode. Further, FIG. 1B illustratesan example of a display device in which the thin film transistor 170connected to an organic light-emitting element or an inorganiclight-emitting element is included in the pixel portion.

In FIG. 1B, as a material for an electrode 471 which functions as asecond gate electrode of a thin film transistor 432, a metal material(an element selected from aluminum (Al), copper (Cu), titanium (Ti),tantalum (Ta), tungsten (W), molybdenum (Mo), chromium (Cr), neodymium(Nd), and scandium (Sc), or an alloy containing any of theabove-described elements as its component) is used. A width of theelectrode 471 in a cross section is smaller than that of the second gateelectrode 470 in FIG. 1A.

Further, the width of the electrode 471 is smaller than a width of theoxide semiconductor layer. By reducing the width of the electrode 471,the overlapping area of the electrode 471 with the first wiring 409 andthe second wiring 410 with the second gate insulating layer 412interposed therebetween can be reduced, so that parasitic capacitancecan be reduced.

The light-emitting element includes at least a first electrode 472, alight-emitting layer 475, and a second electrode 474. In FIG. 1B, theelectrode 471 is formed of the same material as the first electrode 472in the pixel portion, for example, using aluminum or the like, in orderto reduce the number of steps; however, there is no particularlimitation on the electrode 471. Further, in FIG. 1B, an insulatinglayer 473 functions as a partition wall for insulating the firstelectrodes of the adjacent pixels from each other.

Further, FIG. 1C illustrates an example different from FIG. 1A in thematerial and the width of the second gate electrode. In FIG. 1C, as amaterial for an electrode 476 which functions as a second gate electrodeof a thin film transistor 433, a metal material (an element selectedfrom aluminum (Al), copper (Cu), titanium (Ti), tantalum (Ta), tungsten(W), molybdenum (Mo), chromium (Cr), neodymium (Nd), and scandium (Sc),or an alloy containing any of the above-described elements as itscomponent) is used. A width of the second gate electrode in the crosssection is smaller than that in FIG. 1B. When the width is still smallerthan that in FIG. 1B, it is possible to form the second gate electrodeso as not to overlap with the first wiring 409 and the second wiring 410with the second gate insulating layer 412 interposed therebetween, andthus the parasitic capacitance can further be reduced. A width of theelectrode 476 illustrated in FIG. 1C is smaller than a distance betweenthe first wiring 409 and the second wiring 410. In the case of formingthe electrode 476 having such a small width, a process using wet etchingor the like is preferably performed so that both ends of the electrode476 are positioned inner than end portions of a resist mask. However, inFIG. 1C, since a metal material different from that of the pixelelectrode 110 is used, one more photolithography step for forming theelectrode 476 is added, and one more mask is needed.

When the thin film transistor including the oxide semiconductorinterposed between the two gate electrodes provided above and below theoxide semiconductor is used for a peripheral circuit such as a gate linedriver circuit or a source line driver circuit, or a pixel portion,which is used for a liquid crystal display device, a light-emittingdisplay device, or electronic paper, high speed driving or low powerconsumption can be achieved. Further, both the pixel portion and thedriver circuit can be provided over the same substrate without greatlyincreasing the number of steps. By providing various circuits inaddition to the pixel portion over the same substrate, manufacturingcost of a display device can be reduced.

(Embodiment 2)

One thin film transistor has been described as the thin film transistorin the driver circuit in Embodiment 1; however, in Embodiment 2, anexample of forming an inverter circuit of a driver circuit with the useof two n-channel thin film transistors will be described below. A thinfilm transistor illustrated in FIG. 2A is the same as the thin filmtransistor 430 illustrated in FIG. 1A of Embodiment 1; therefore, thesame parts are denoted by the same reference numerals.

The driver circuit for driving a pixel portion is formed using aninverter circuit, a capacitor, a resistor, and the like. In the casewhere the inverter circuit is formed using two n-channel TFTs incombination, there are an inverter circuit having a combination of anenhancement type transistor and a depletion type transistor(hereinafter, referred to as an EDMOS circuit) and an inverter circuithaving a combination of two enhancement type TFTs (hereinafter, referredto as an EEMOS circuit).

A cross-sectional structure of the inverter circuit of the drivercircuit is illustrated in FIG. 2A. Note that the thin film transistor430 and a second thin film transistor 431 illustrated in FIG. 2A to 2Care bottom-gate thin film transistors, and are examples of thin filmtransistors in which a wiring is provided under a semiconductor layer.

In FIG. 2A, the first gate electrode 401 and a gate electrode 402 areprovided over the substrate 400. The first gate electrode 401 and thegate electrode 402 can be formed to have a single-layer structure or astacked structure using a metal material such as molybdenum, titanium,chromium, tantalum, tungsten, aluminum, copper, neodymium, or scandiumor an alloy material containing any of these as its main component.

As a two-layer stacked structure of the first gate electrode 401 and thegate electrode 402, for example, a two-layer stacked structure in whicha molybdenum layer is stacked over an aluminum layer, a two-layerstructure in which a molybdenum layer is stacked over a copper layer, atwo-layer structure in which a titanium nitride layer or a tantalumnitride layer is stacked over a copper layer, or a two-layer structurein which a titanium nitride layer and a molybdenum layer are stacked ispreferable. As a three-layer stacked structure, stacked layers of atungsten layer or a tungsten nitride layer, an alloy layer of aluminumand silicon or an alloy layer of aluminum and titanium, and a titaniumnitride layer or a titanium layer is preferable.

Further, the first wiring 409 and the second wiring 410 are providedover the first gate insulating layer 403 which covers the first gateelectrode 401 and the gate electrode 402. The second wiring 410 isdirectly connected to the gate electrode 402 through a contact hole 404formed in the first gate insulating layer 403.

The oxide semiconductor layer 405 is provided over the first wiring 409and the second wiring 410. Further, a second oxide semiconductor layer407 is provided over a third wiring 411.

The thin film transistor 430 includes the first gate electrode 401 andthe oxide semiconductor layer 405 overlapping with the first gateelectrode 401 with the first gate insulating layer 403 interposedtherebetween. The first wiring 409 is a power supply line to whichnegative voltage VDL is applied (a negative power supply line). Thispower supply line may be a power supply line with a ground potential (aground potential power supply line).

Further, the second thin film transistor 431 includes the gate electrode402 and the second oxide semiconductor layer 407 overlapping with thegate electrode 402 with the first gate insulating layer 403 interposedtherebetween. The third wiring 411 is a power supply line to whichpositive voltage VDH is applied (a positive power supply line).

Further, a top view of the inverter circuit of the driver circuit isillustrated in FIG. 2C. In FIG. 2C, a cross-section taken along a chainline Z1-Z2 corresponds to FIG. 2A.

Further, an equivalent circuit of the EDMOS circuit is illustrated inFIG. 2B. A circuit connection illustrated in FIG. 2A corresponds to thatin FIG. 2B, and is an example in which the thin film transistor 430 isan enhancement type n-channel transistor while the second thin filmtransistor 431 is a depletion type n-channel transistor.

In this embodiment, in order to make the thin film transistor 430 anenhancement type n-channel transistor, the second gate insulating layer412 is provided over the oxide semiconductor layer 405 and the secondgate electrode 470 is provided over the second gate insulating layer 412so that threshold value of the thin film transistor 430 is controlled byvoltage applied to the second gate electrode 470.

Further, the second gate insulating layer 412 also functions as aprotective layer covering the second oxide semiconductor layer 407.

Note that an example in which the second wiring 410 is directlyconnected to the gate electrode 402 through the contact hole 404 formedin the first gate insulating layer 403 is illustrated in FIGS. 2A and2C; however, a connection electrode may be separately provided, therebyelectrically connecting the second wiring 410 and the gate electrode 402without being particularly limited to the above example.

Further, this embodiment can be freely combined with Embodiment 1.

(Embodiment 3)

In this embodiment, a display device will be described with reference toblock diagrams and the like.

FIG. 3A illustrates an example of a block diagram of an active matrixliquid crystal display device. The liquid crystal display deviceillustrated in FIG. 3A includes, over a substrate 300, a pixel portion301 having a plurality of pixels each provided with a display element; ascan line driver circuit 302 which controls a scan line connected to agate electrode of each pixel; and a signal line driver circuit 303 whichcontrols video signal input to a selected pixel.

FIG. 3B illustrates an example of a block diagram of an active matrixlight-emitting display device. The light-emitting display deviceillustrated in FIG. 3B includes, over a substrate 310, a pixel portion311 having a plurality of pixels each provided with a display element; afirst scan line driver circuit 312 and a second scan line driver circuit313, each of which controls a scan line connected to a gate electrode ofa pixel; and a signal line driver circuit 314 which controls videosignal input to a selected pixel. In the case where two TFTs (thin filmtransistor) of a switching TFT and a current controlling TFT arearranged in one pixel, in the light-emitting display device illustratedin FIG. 3B, a signal which is input to a first scan line connected to agate electrode of the switching TFT is generated in the first scan linedriver circuit 312, and a signal which is input to a second scan lineconnected to a gate electrode of the current controlling TFT isgenerated in the second scan line driver circuit 313. Note that astructure in which the signal input to the first scan line and thesignal input to the second scan line are generated in one scan linedriver circuit may also be employed. Alternatively, for example, aplurality of the first scan lines used for controlling operation of aswitching element may be provided in each pixel, depending on the numberof TFTs included in the switching element. In this case, all signalswhich are input to the plurality of the first scan lines may begenerated in one scan line driver circuit, or signals may be generatedseparately by a plurality of scan line driver circuits.

Note that modes in which the scan line driver circuit 302, the firstscan line driver circuit 312, the second scan line driver circuit 313,and the signal line driver circuits 303 and 314 are manufactured in thedisplay devices are described here; however, part of the scan linedriver circuit 302, the first scan line driver circuit 312, or thesecond scan line driver circuit 313 may be mounted using a semiconductordevice such as an IC. Alternatively, part of the signal line drivercircuits 303 or 314 may be mounted using a semiconductor device such asan IC.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a positional relation between a pixelportion and a protective circuit including a signal input terminal 321,a scan line, a signal line, and a non-linear element, which constitutethe display device. A pixel portion 327 includes scan lines 323 andsignal lines 324 which are arranged over a substrate 320 having aninsulating surface so as to intersect with each other. Note that thepixel portion 327 corresponds to the pixel portion 301 and the pixelportion 311 illustrated in FIG. 3A and 3B.

The pixel portion 301 is connected to the signal line driver circuit 303by a plurality of signal lines Si to Sm (not shown) which are arrangedin columns and extended from the signal line driver circuit 303, andconnected to the scan line driver circuit 302 by a plurality of scanlines G1 to Gn (not shown) which are arranged in rows and extended fromthe scan line driver circuit 302. The pixel portion 301 includes aplurality of pixels (not shown) arranged in a matrix form by the signallines S1 to Sm and the scan lines G1 to Gn. Then, each pixel isconnected to a signal line Sj (any one of the signal lines S1 to Sm) anda scan line Gi (any one of the scan lines G1 to Gn).

The pixel portion 327 includes a plurality of pixels 328 arranged in amatrix form. The pixel 328 includes a pixel TFT 329 connected to thescan line 323 and the signal line 324, a storage capacitor 330, and apixel electrode 331.

The pixel structure here illustrates a case where one electrode of thestorage capacitor 330 is connected to the pixel TFT 329 and the otherelectrode thereof is connected to a capacitor line 332. Further, thepixel electrode 331 serves as one electrode which drives a displayelement (a liquid crystal element, a light-emitting element, a contrastmedium (electronic ink), or the like). The other electrode of such adisplay element is connected to a common terminal 333.

Some protective circuits are provided between the pixel portion 327 andsignal line input terminals 322. In addition, other protective circuitsare provided between the scan line driver circuit and the pixel portion327. In this embodiment, a plurality of protective circuits are providedso that the pixel TFT 329 and the like are not broken when surge voltagedue to static electricity or the like is applied to the scan line 323,the signal line 324, and a capacitor bus line 337. Therefore, theprotective circuits are formed so that charge is released into a commonwiring when the surge voltage is applied.

In this embodiment, an example in which a protective circuit 334, aprotective circuit 335, and a protective circuit 336 are arranged on ascan line 323 side, on a signal line 324 side, and on a capacitor busline 337 side, respectively is illustrated. Note that an arrangementposition of the protective circuits is not limited thereto. In addition,in a case where the scan line driver circuit is not mounted using asemiconductor device such as an IC, the protective circuit 334 is notnecessarily provided on the scan line 323 side.

By use of the TFT described in Embodiment 1 or Embodiment 2 for each ofthese circuits, the following advantages can be obtained.

A driver circuit is roughly divided into a logic circuit portion, and aswitch portion or a buffer portion. A TFT provided in the logic circuitportion preferably has a structure in which threshold voltage can becontrolled. On the other hand, a TFT provided in the switch portion orthe buffer portion preferably has large on current. By provision of adriver circuit including the TFT described in Embodiment 1 or Embodiment2, the threshold voltage of the TFT provided in the logic circuitportion can be controlled, and the on current of the TFT provided in theswitch portion or the buffer portion can be increased. Furthermore, theTFT described in Embodiment 1 or Embodiment 2 contributes to reducing anarea occupied by the driver circuit and narrowing a frame.

A shift register circuit included in the scan line driver circuit isdescribed below.

A shift register circuit illustrated in FIG. 5 includes a plurality offlip-flop circuits 351, a control signal line 352, a control signal line353, a control signal line 354, a control signal line 355, a controlsignal line 356, and a reset line 357.

As illustrated in the shift register circuit of FIG. 5, in the flip-flopcircuits 351, a start pulse SSP is input to an input terminal IN of thefirst stage through the control signal line 352, and an output signalterminal S_(out) of the flip-flop circuit 351 of the preceding stage isconnected to an input terminal IN of the next stage. Further, a resetterminal RES of the N-th stage (N is a natural number) is connected toan output signal terminal S_(out) of the flip-flop circuit of the(N+3)th stage through the reset line 357. When it is assumed that afirst clock signal CLK1 is input to a clock terminal CLK of theflip-flop circuit 351 of the N-th stage through the control signal line353, a second clock signal CLK2 is input to the clock terminal CLK ofthe flip-flop circuit 351 of the (N+1)th stage through the controlsignal line 354. A third clock signal CLK3 is input to the clockterminal CLK of the flip-flop circuit 351 of the (N+2)th stage throughthe control signal line 355. A fourth clock signal CLK4 is input to theclock terminal CLK of the flip-flop circuit 351 of the (N+3)th stagethrough the control signal line 356. Then, the first clock signal CLK1is input to the clock terminal CLK of the flip-flop circuit 351 of the(N+4)th stage through the control signal line 353. In addition, theflip-flop circuit 351 of the N-th stage outputs an output SR_(out)N ofthe flip-flop circuit of the N-th stage from a gate output terminalG_(out).

Note that connection between the flip-flop circuits 351, and a powersource and a power supply line is not illustrated; however, eachflip-flop circuit 351 is supplied with a power supply potential Vdd anda power supply potential GND through the power supply line.

Note that the power supply potential described in this specificationcorresponds to a potential difference in the case where a referencepotential is 0 V. Therefore, the power supply potential is also referredto as power supply voltage, or the power supply voltage is referred toas the power supply potential in some cases.

Note that in this specification, description that “A and B are connectedto each other” includes the case where A and B are electricallyconnected to each other in addition to the case where A and B aredirectly connected to each other. Here, the description that “A and Bare electrically connected to each other” expresses the followingsituation: when an object having any electrical function exists betweenA and B, A and B have substantially the same potential through theobject. Specifically, the description that “A and B are electricallyconnected to each other” expresses the case where A and B can beregarded to have the same potential in consideration of the circuitoperation, such as a case where A and B are connected through aswitching element such as a TFT and A and B have substantially the samepotential by the conduction of the switching element, or a case where Aand B are connected through a resistor and a potential differencegenerated between the both ends of the resistor does not affectoperation of a circuit including A and B.

Next, FIG. 6 illustrates one mode of the flip-flop circuit 351 includedin the shift register circuit illustrated in FIG. 5. The flip-flopcircuit 351 illustrated in FIG. 6 includes a logic circuit portion 361and a switch portion 362. The logic circuit portion 361 includes TFTs363 to 368. Further, the switch portion 362 includes TFTs 369 to 372.Note that a logic circuit portion is a circuit for switching a signalthat is output to a switch portion, which is a circuit in the nextstage, in response to a signal that is input from an external portion.In addition, a switch portion is a circuit for switching on/off of a TFTwhich functions as a switch in response to a signal input from anexternal portion and a control circuit portion, and for outputtingcurrent depending on the size and the structure of the TFT.

In the flip-flop circuit 351, an input terminal in is connected to agate terminal of the TFT 364 and a gate terminal of the TFT 367. A resetterminal RES is connected to a gate terminal of the TFT 363. A clockterminal CLK is connected to a first terminal of the TFT 369 and a firstterminal of the TFT 371. A power supply line through which the powersupply potential Vdd is supplied is connected to a first terminal of theTFT 364, and a gate terminal and a second terminal of the TFT 366. Apower supply line through which the power supply potential GND issupplied is connected to a second terminal of the TFT 363, a secondterminal of the TFT 365, a second terminal of the TFT 367, a secondterminal of the TFT 368, a second terminal of the TFT 370, and a secondterminal of the TFT 372. Further, a first terminal of the

TFT 363, a second terminal of the TFT 364, a first terminal of the TFT365, a gate terminal of the TFT 368, a gate terminal of the TFT 369, anda gate terminal of the TFT 371 are connected to each other. A firstterminal of the TFT 366 is connected to a gate terminal of the TFT 365,a first terminal of the TFT 367, a first terminal of the TFT 368, a gateterminal of the TFT 370, and a gate terminal of the TFT 372. Inaddition, a gate output terminal G_(out) is connected to a secondterminal of the TFT 369 and a first terminal of the TFT 370. An outputsignal terminal S_(out) is connected to a second terminal of the TFT 371and a first terminal of the TFT 372.

Note that a case where the TFTs 363 to 372 are all n-channel TFTs isdescribed here.

Note that a TFT is an element having at least three terminals of a gate,a drain, and a source, and has a channel formation region between adrain region and a source region. Current can flow through the drainregion, the channel formation region, and the source region. Here, thesource and the drain may be exchanged with each other in some casesdepending on a structure, operation conditions of the TFT, or the like;therefore, it is difficult to determine which the source is or which thedrain is. Therefore, regions functioning as the source and the drain arenot referred to as a source and a drain but referred to, for example, asa first terminal and a second terminal, respectively, in some cases. Inthis case, a terminal functioning as a gate is referred to as a gateterminal.

Next, FIG. 7 illustrates an example of a layout view of the flip-flopcircuit 351 illustrated in FIG. 6.

The flip-flop circuit of FIG. 7 includes a power supply line 381 throughwhich the power supply potential Vdd is supplied, a reset line 382, thecontrol signal line 353, the control signal line 354, the control signalline 355, the control signal line 356, a control signal line 383, apower supply line 384 through which the power supply potential GND issupplied, the logic circuit portion 361, and the switch portion 362. Thelogic circuit portion 361 includes the TFTs 363 to 368. The switchportion 362 includes the TFTs 369 to 372. In FIG. 7, a wiring connectedto the gate output terminal G_(out) and a wiring connected to the outputsignal terminal S_(out) are also illustrated.

FIG. 7 illustrates a semiconductor layer 385, a first wiring layer 386,a second wiring layer 387, a third wiring layer 388, and a contact hole389. Note that the first wiring layer 386 may be formed of a layer of agate electrode, the second wiring layer 387 may be formed of a layer ofsource and drain electrodes of a TFT, and the third wiring layer 388 maybe formed of a layer of a pixel electrode in the pixel portion. However,there is no limitation on the formation of the layers, and for example,the third wiring layer 388 may be formed as a layer different from thelayer of the pixel electrode.

Note that a connection relation between circuit elements in FIG. 7 is asillustrated in FIG. 6. Note that FIG. 7 illustrates the flip-flopcircuit to which the first clock signal is input; therefore, connectionto the control signal lines 354 to 356 is not illustrated.

In the layout view of the flip-flop circuit of FIG. 7, by controllingthreshold voltage of the TFT 366 or the TFT 367 included in the logiccircuit portion 361, an EDMOS circuit 373 can be formed. Typically, theEDMOS circuit 373 in which the

TFT 366 is a depletion type and the TFT 367 is an enhancement type isformed, and the TFTs 369 to 372 included in the switch portion 362 aredual-gate TFTs or depletion type TFTs. Note that in FIG. 6, the TFT 366and the TFT 367 in the EDMOS circuit 373 are different from the TFTs inthe EDMOS circuit illustrated in FIG. 2 in a connection position of thegate electrode of the depletion type TFT.

The TFT 366 or the TFT 367 is formed so as to be a dual-gate TFT and apotential of a back-gate electrode is controlled, so that a depletiontype TFT or an enhancement type TFT can be formed.

In FIG. 7, a control signal line 390 which has the same potential as aback-gate electrode for controlling the threshold voltage of the TFT 366is separately provided to form a depletion type. The TFT 366 is adual-gate TFT, and a potential of the back-gate electrode is differentfrom a potential of the power supply line 381 through which the powersupply potential Vdd that is applied to the gate electrode is supplied.

FIG. 7 illustrates an example in which the TFTs 369 to 372 are dual-gateTFTs and the back-gate electrodes and the gate electrodes have the samepotentials, and a potential of each of the back-gate electrodes is thesame potential as that of the power supply line through which the powersupply potential Vdd that is applied to the gate electrode is supplied.

In this manner, TFTs arranged in the pixel portion and the drivercircuit of a display device can be formed using only n-channel TFTs inwhich an oxide semiconductor layer is used.

Further, the TFT 366 in the logic circuit portion 361 is a TFT forapplying current in response to the power supply potential Vdd. The TFT366 is formed to be a dual-gate TFT or a depletion type TFT to increasethe flowing current, whereby miniaturization of the TFT can be achievedwithout reducing performance.

Further, in the TFTs included in the switch portion 362, the amount ofcurrent flowing in the TFTs can be increased and switching of on/off canbe performed at high speed; therefore, an area occupied by the TFTs canbe reduced without reducing performance. Accordingly, an area occupiedby the circuit including the TFTs can also be reduced. Note that theTFTs 369 to 372 in the switch portion 362 may be formed to be dual-gateTFTs so that the semiconductor layer 385 is interposed between the firstwiring layer 386 and the third wiring layer 388 as illustrated in thedrawing.

An example that the dual-gate TFT has a structure in which thesemiconductor layer 385 is interposed between the first wiring layer 386and the third wiring layer 388 which have the same potential by beingconnected to each other through the contact hole 389 is illustrated inFIG. 7; however, the present invention is not limited to this structure.For example, a structure in which a control signal line is separatelyprovided for the third wiring layer 388 to control a potential of thethird wiring layer 388 independently from the first wiring layer 386 maybe employed.

Note that in the layout view of the flip-flop circuit illustrated inFIG. 7, the shapes of the channel formation regions of the TFTs 363 to372 may be U shapes (reversed C shapes or horseshoe shapes). Inaddition, although all the TFTs have the same size in FIG. 7, the sizeof each TFT which is connected to the output signal terminal S_(out), orthe gate output terminal G_(out) may be changed as appropriate inaccordance with the amount of a load of subsequent stage.

Next, operation of the shift register circuit illustrated in FIG. 5 isdescribed with reference to a timing chart illustrated in FIG. 8. FIG. 8illustrates the start pulse SSP and the first to fourth clock signalsCLK1 to CLK4, which are supplied to the control signal lines 352 to 356illustrated in FIG. 5, respectively, and the S_(out)s 1 to 5 output fromthe output signal terminals S_(out) of the flip-flop circuits of thefirst to fifth stages. Note that in description of FIG. 8, the referencenumerals denoting the respective elements in FIG. 6 and FIG. 7 are used.

Note that FIG. 8 is a timing chart in the case where each TFT includedin the flip-flop circuits is an n-channel TFT. Further, the first clocksignal CLK1 is shifted from the fourth clock signal CLK4 by ¼ wavelength(a section divided by dotted lines) as illustrated.

First, in a period T1, the start pulse SSP is input to the flip-flopcircuit of the first stage at an H level, and the logic circuit portion361 turns the TFTs 369 and 371 on and the TFTs 370 and 372 off in theswitch portion. At this time, since the first clock signal CLK1 is at anL level, the S_(out) 1 is at an L level.

Note that in the period T1, signals are not input to the IN terminals ofthe flip-flop circuits of the second and subsequent stages, so that theflip-flop circuits output L levels without operation. Note thatdescription is made assuming that each flip-flop circuit of the shiftregister circuit outputs an L level in an initial state.

Next, in a period T2, the logic circuit portion 361 controls the switchportion 362 in the flip-flop circuit of the first stage in a mannersimilar to the period T1. In the period T2, the first clock signal CLK1is at an H level, and thus the S_(out) 1 is at an H level. Further, inthe period T2, the S_(out) 1 is input to the IN terminal of theflip-flop circuit of the second stage at an H level, and the logiccircuit portion 361 turns the TFTs 369 and 371 on and the TFTs 370 and372 off in the switch portion. At this time, since the second clocksignal CLK2 is at an L level, the S_(out) 2 is at an L level.

Note that in the period T2, signals are not input to the IN terminals ofthe flip-flop circuits of the third and subsequent stages, so that theflip-flop circuits output L levels without operation.

Next, in a period T3, the logic circuit portion 361 controls the switchportion 362 so that a state of the period T2 is held in the flip-flopcircuit of the first stage. Therefore, in the period T3, the first clocksignal CLK1 is at an H level and the S_(out) 1 is at an H level.Further, in the period T3, the logic circuit portion 361 controls theswitch portion 362 in the flip-flop circuit of the second stage in amanner similar to the period T2. In the period T3, since the secondclock signal CLK2 is at an H level, the S_(out) 2 is at an H level. Inaddition, the S_(out) 2 is input to the IN terminal of the flip-flopcircuit of the third stage at an H level in the period T3, and the logiccircuit portion 361 turns the TFTs 369 and 371 on and the TFTs 370 and372 off in the switch portion. At this time, the third clock signal CLK3is at an L level, and thus the S_(out) 3 is at an L level.

Note that in the period T3, signals are not input to the IN terminals ofthe flip-flop circuits of the fourth and subsequent stages, so that theflip-flop circuits output L levels without operation.

Next, in the period T4, the logic circuit portion 361 controls theswitch portion 362 so that a state of the period T3 is held in theflip-flop circuit of the first stage. Therefore, in the period T4, thefirst clock signal CLK1 is at an L level and the S_(out) 1 is at an Llevel. Further, in the period T4, the logic circuit portion 361 controlsthe switch portion 362 so that a state of the period T3 is held in theflip-flop circuit of the second stage. Therefore, in the period T4, thesecond clock signal CLK2 is at an H level and S_(out) 2 is at an Hlevel. In addition, in the period T4, the logic circuit portion 361controls the switch portion 362 in the flip-flop circuit of the thirdstage in a manner similar to the period T3. In the period T4, since thethird clock signal CLK3 is at an H level, the S_(out) 3 is at an Hlevel. The S_(out) 3 is input to the IN terminal of the flip-flopcircuit of the fourth stage at an H level in the period T4, and thelogic circuit portion 361 turns the TFTs 369 and 371 on and the TFTs 370and 372 off in the switch portion 362. At this time, since the fourthclock signal CLK4 is at an L level, the S_(out) 4 is at an L level.

Note that in the period T4, signals are not input to the IN terminals ofthe flip-flop circuits of the fifth and subsequent stages, so that theflip-flop circuits output L levels without operation.

Next, in a period T5, the logic circuit portion 361 controls the switchportion 362 so that a state of the period T3 is held in the flip-flopcircuit of the second stage. Therefore, in the period T5, the secondclock signal CLK2 is at an L level and the S_(out) 2 is at an L level.Further, in the period T5, the logic circuit portion 361 controls theswitch portion 362 so that a state of the period T4 is held in theflip-flop circuit of the third stage. Therefore, in the period T5, thethird clock signal CLK3 is at an H level and the S_(out) 3 is at an Hlevel. In addition, in the period T5, the logic circuit portion 361controls the switch portion 362 in the flip-flop circuit of the fourthstage in a manner similar to the period T4. In the period T5, since thefourth clock signal CLK4 is at an H level, the S_(out) 4 is at an Hlevel. The flip-flop circuits of the fifth and subsequent stages have awiring connection and a timing of a signal to be input similar to thoseof the flip-flop circuits of the first to fourth stages; therefore,description thereof is omitted.

As illustrated in the shift register circuit of FIG. 5, the S_(out), 4also functions as a reset signal of the flip-flop circuit of the firststage. In the period T5, the S_(out) 4 is at an H level and this signalis input to the reset terminal RES of the flip-flop circuit of the firststage. When the reset signal is input, the TFTs 369 and 371 are turnedoff and the TFTs 370 and 372 are turned on in the switch portion 362.Then, the S_(out) 1 of the flip-flop circuit of the first stage outputsan L level until input of the next start pulse SSP.

By the above-described operation, in the flip-flop circuits of thesecond and subsequent stages, the logic circuit portions are also resetbased on the reset signals which are output from the flip-flop circuitsof subsequent stages. As shown by the S_(out)s 1 to 5, a shift registercircuit in which signals having waveforms shifted by ¼ wavelength of theclock signals are output can be formed.

When the flip-flop circuit has a structure in which an EDMOS circuitthat is a combination of an enhancement type TFT and a depletion typeTFT is provided in the logic circuit portion and a dual-gate TFT isprovided in the switch portion, the amount of current flowing in theTFTs included in the logic circuit portion 361 can be increased and anarea occupied by the TFTs and furthermore, an area occupied by thecircuit including the TFTs can be reduced without reduction inperformance. Further, in the TFT included in the switch portion 362, theamount of current flowing in the TFT can be increased and switching ofon/off can be performed at high speed; therefore, an area occupied bythe TFTs and furthermore, an area occupied by the circuit including theTFTs can be reduced without reduction in performance. Accordingly, anarrow frame, downsizing, high performance of a display device can beachieved.

Further, a latch circuit, a level shifter circuit, or the like can beprovided in the signal line driver circuit illustrated in FIGS. 3A and3B. A buffer portion is provided in the last stage through which asignal is transmitted from the signal line driver circuit to the pixelportion, and an amplified signal is transmitted from the signal linedriver circuit to the pixel portion. Thus, when a TFT having large oncurrent, typically a dual-gate TFT or a depletion type TFT is providedin the buffer portion, an area of the TFT can be reduced and an areaoccupied by the signal line driver circuit can be reduced. Accordingly,a narrow frame, downsizing, and high performance of a display device canbe achieved. Note that since high-speed operation is required for theshift register which is part of the signal line driver circuit, theshift register is preferably mounted on a display device by use of an ICor the like.

In addition, this embodiment can be freely combined with Embodiment 1 orEmbodiment 2.

(Embodiment 4)

In Embodiment 4, a method for manufacturing a display device includingthe second thin film transistor 170 described in Embodiment 1 will bedescribed with reference to FIGS. 9A to 9C, FIGS. 10A to 10C, FIG. 11,FIG. 12, FIG. 13, FIG. 14, FIGS. 15A1, 15A2, 15B1, and 15B2, and FIG.16.

In FIG. 9A, a glass substrate of barium borosilicate glass,aluminoborosilicate glass, or the like can be used as a substrate 100having a light-transmitting property.

Next, after a conductive layer is formed over an entire surface of thesubstrate 100, a resist mask is formed by a first photolithography step.Then, unnecessary portions are removed by etching, thereby formingwirings and electrodes (a gate wiring including the gate electrode 101,a capacitor wiring 108, and a first terminal 121). At this time, etchingis performed so that at least an end portion of the gate electrode 101is tapered. A cross-sectional view at this stage is illustrated in FIG.9A. Note that FIG. 11 is a top view at this stage.

The gate wiring including the gate electrode 101, the capacitor wiring108, and the first terminal 121 in the terminal portion are desirablyformed of a low-resistant conductive material such as aluminum (Al) orcopper (Cu). However, aluminum itself has the disadvantages of low heatresistance, being easily corroded, and the like; thus, it is used incombination with a conductive material having heat resistance. As theconductive material having heat resistance, it is possible to use anelement selected from titanium (Ti), tantalum (Ta), tungsten (W),molybdenum (Mo), chromium (Cr), neodymium (Nd), and scandium (Sc), analloy containing any of these elements as its component, an alloy filmcontaining a combination of any of these elements, or a nitridecontaining any of these elements as its component.

Then, the gate insulating layer 102 is entirely formed over the gateelectrode 101. The gate insulating layer 102 is formed to a thickness of50 nm to 400 nm by a sputtering method or the like. When yield of thethin film transistor is prioritized, the thickness of the gateinsulating layer 102 is preferably large.

For example, as the gate insulating layer 102, a silicon oxide film isformed to a thickness of 100 nm by a sputtering method. It is needlessto say that the gate insulating layer 102 is not limited to such asilicon oxide film, and another insulating film such as a siliconoxynitride film, a silicon nitride film, an aluminum oxide film, analuminum nitride film, an aluminum oxynitride film, or a tantalum oxidefilm may be used to form a single-layer structure or a stackedstructure. When a silicon oxynitride film, a silicon nitride film, orthe like is used as the gate insulating layer 102, an impurity from theglass substrate, sodium for example, can be blocked from diffusing intoand entering an oxide semiconductor to be formed later.

Next, a resist mask is formed by a second photolithography step. Then,unnecessary portions are removed by etching, thereby forming a contacthole which reaches the wiring or the electrode formed of the samematerial as the gate electrode. This contact hole is provided fordirectly connecting to a conductive film to be formed later. Forexample, in a driver circuit portion, the contact hole is formed in thecase of forming a thin film transistor in which a gate electrode isdirectly in contact with a source electrode or a drain electrode, or inthe case of forming a terminal which is electrically connected to a gatewiring in the terminal portion. Note that an example in which the secondphotolithography step is performed to form the contact hole for directlyconnecting to the conductive film to be formed later is described here.

However, a contact hole reaching a gate electrode layer may be formedlater in the same step as the step in which a contact hole forconnection to a pixel electrode is formed, and electrical connection maybe performed using the same material as the pixel electrode withoutparticular limitations. When the electrical connection is performedusing the same material as the pixel electrode, the number of masks canbe reduced by one.

Next, a conductive film of a metal material is formed over the gateinsulating layer 102 by a sputtering method or a vacuum evaporationmethod. Here, the conductive film has a three-layer structure of a Tifilm, an aluminum film containing Nd, and a Ti film. As a material forthe conductive film, an element selected from Al, Cr, Ta, Ti, Mo, and W;an alloy containing any of the above elements as its component; an alloyfilm containing a combination of any of the above elements; and the likecan be given. Further, the conductive film may have a two-layerstructure, and a titanium film may be stacked over an aluminum film.Alternatively, the conductive film may have a single-layer structure ofan aluminum film containing silicon or a single-layer structure of atitanium film.

Next, a resist mask is formed by a third photolithography step. Then,unnecessary portions are removed by etching, thereby forming a sourceelectrode layer 105 a, a drain electrode layer 105 b, and a connectionelectrode 120. Wet etching or dry etching is employed as an etchingmethod at this time. Here, an ammonium hydrogen peroxide mixture(hydrogen peroxide:ammonium:water=5:2:2) is used as an etchant for theTi films, and a solution in which phosphoric acid, acetic acid, andnitric acid are mixed is used for etching of the aluminum filmcontaining Nd. By this wet etching, the conductive film in which the Tifilm, the Al—Nd film, and the Ti film are sequentially stacked isetched, thereby forming the source electrode layer 105 a and the drainelectrode layer 105 b. A cross-sectional view at this stage isillustrated in FIG. 9B. Note that FIG. 12 is a top view at this stage.

In the terminal portion, the connection electrode 120 is directlyconnected to the first terminal 121 in the terminal portion through thecontact hole formed in the gate insulating layer. Note that although notillustrated here, a source wiring or a drain wiring, and a gateelectrode of the thin film transistor in the driver circuit are directlyconnected through the same steps as the above-described steps.

Next, after removal of the resist mask, plasma treatment is preferablyperformed to remove dust and the like attached to surfaces of the sourceelectrode layer 105 a and the drain electrode layer 105 b. Across-sectional view at this stage is illustrated in FIG. 9C. Here,reverse sputtering in which an argon gas is introduced and plasma isgenerated with an RF power is performed, so that the exposed gateinsulating layer is subjected to plasma treatment.

Next, after the plasma treatment, an oxide semiconductor film is formed.The oxide semiconductor film is formed without being exposed to theatmosphere after the plasma treatment, which is advantageous in thatdust and the like are not attached to the interface between the gateinsulating layer and the oxide semiconductor film. Here, with the use ofan oxide semiconductor target containing In (indium), Ga (gallium), andZn (zinc) (In₂O₃:Ga₂O₃:ZnO=1:1:1), which has a diameter of 8 inches,deposition is performed in an argon atmosphere or an oxygen atmosphereat a distance between the substrate and the target of 170 mm, a pressureof 0.4 Pa, and a direct current (DC) power supply of 0.5 kW. Note that apulsed direct current (DC) power supply is preferably used to reducedust and obtain a uniform distribution of film thickness. The thicknessof the oxide semiconductor film is 5 nm to 200 nm, and in thisembodiment, the thickness of the oxide semiconductor film is 100 nm.

Next, a resist mask is formed by a fourth photolithography step. Then,unnecessary portions are removed by etching, thereby forming the oxidesemiconductor layer 103. Here, unnecessary portions are removed by wetetching using ITO07N (manufactured by KANTO CHEMICAL CO., INC.), therebyforming the oxide semiconductor layer 103. Note that etching here is notlimited to wet etching and dry etching may also be performed. Afterthat, the resist mask is removed.

In the fourth photolithography step, a second terminal 122 that is madeof the same material as the source and drain electrode layers 105 a and105 b remains in the terminal portion. Note that the second terminal 122is electrically connected to a source wiring (a source wiring includingthe source and drain electrode layers 105 a and 105 b).

Next, heat treatment is preferably performed at 200° C. to 600° C.,typically 300° C. to 500° C. For example, heat treatment is performed ina furnace for 1 hour at 350° C. in a nitrogen atmosphere or an airatmosphere. Through the above-described steps, the thin film transistor170 in which the oxide semiconductor layer 103 is used as a channelformation region can be manufactured. A cross-sectional view at thisstage is illustrated in FIG. 10A. Note that a top view at this stage isillustrated in FIG. 13. Note that there is no particular limitation ontiming of the heat treatment as long as it is performed after theformation of the oxide semiconductor film, and for example, the heattreatment may be performed after formation of a protective insulatingfilm.

Furthermore, oxygen radical treatment may be performed on an exposedsurface of the oxide semiconductor layer 103. By the oxygen radicaltreatment, the thin film transistor can be normally off. Further, byradical treatment, damage to the oxide semiconductor layer 103 due tothe etching can be repaired. The radical treatment is preferablyperformed in an O₂ and/or N₂O atmosphere, more preferably, in anatmosphere of N₂, He, and/or Ar each containing oxygen. Alternatively,the radical treatment may be performed in an atmosphere in which Cl₂and/or CF₄ are/is added to any of the above atmospheres. Note that theradical treatment may be performed with no bias applied.

Next, a protective insulating layer 107 which covers the second thinfilm transistor 170 is formed. The protective insulating layer 107 maybe formed of a single layer of a silicon nitride film, a silicon oxidefilm, a silicon oxynitride film, an aluminum oxide film, an aluminumnitride film, an aluminum oxynitride film, a tantalum oxide film, or thelike, which is obtained by a sputtering method or the like, or stackedlayers of these films. In the thin film transistors in part of thedriver circuit, the protective insulating layer 107 functions as asecond gate insulating layer and a second gate electrode is formedthereover. The protective insulating layer 107 has a thickness of 50 nmto 400 nm When yield of the thin film transistor is prioritized, thethickness of the protective insulating layer 107 is preferably large.Further, when a silicon oxynitride film, a silicon nitride film, or thelike is used as the protective insulating layer 107, an impurityattached for some reason after the formation of the protectiveinsulating layer 107, e.g., sodium, can be blocked from diffusing intoand entering the oxide semiconductor.

Then, a fifth photolithography step is performed to form a resist mask,and the protective insulating layer 107 is etched to form a contact hole125 reaching the drain electrode layer 105 b. In addition, a contacthole 126 reaching the connection electrode 120 and a contact hole 127reaching the second terminal 122 are also formed by the etching here. Across-sectional view at this stage is illustrated in FIG. 10B.

Next, the resist mask is removed, and then a transparent conductive filmis formed. The transparent conductive film is formed of indium oxide(In₂O₃), indium oxide-tin oxide alloy (In₂O₃—SnO₂, abbreviated to ITO),or the like by a sputtering method, a vacuum evaporation method, or thelike. Such a material is etched with a hydrochloric acid-based solution.However, since a residue is easily generated particularly in etchingITO, indium oxide-zinc oxide alloy (In₂O₃—ZnO) may be used to improveetching processability.

Next, a resist mask is formed by a sixth photolithography step. Then,unnecessary portions are removed by etching, thereby forming the pixelelectrode 110 in the pixel portion. In the sixth photolithography step,in the driver circuit, the same material as that of the pixel electrode110 is used for part of the circuit to form an electrode layer (aback-gate electrode) for controlling the threshold value over the oxidesemiconductor layer. Note that the thin film transistor having theback-gate electrode is described in Embodiment 1 with reference to FIG.1A; therefore, detailed description thereof is omitted here.

In the sixth photolithography step, a storage capacitor is formed of thecapacitor wiring 108 and the pixel electrode 110 by using the gateinsulating layer 102 and the protective insulating layer 107 in thecapacitor portion as dielectrics. Note that an example in which thestorage capacitor is formed of the capacitor wiring 108 and the pixelelectrode 110 by using the gate insulating layer 102 and the protectiveinsulating layer 107 as the dielectrics is described here. However,there is no particular limitation and a structure may also be employed,in which an electrode including the same material as the sourceelectrode or the drain electrode is provided above the capacitor wiringand a storage capacitor is formed of the electrode and the capacitorwiring by using the gate insulating layer 102 therebetween as adielectric, thereby electrically connecting the electrode and the pixelelectrode.

Furthermore, in the sixth photolithography step, the first terminal andthe second terminal are covered with the resist mask so that transparentconductive films 128 and 129 remain in the terminal portion. Thetransparent conductive films 128 and 129 function as electrodes orwirings connected to an FPC. The transparent conductive film 128 formedover the connection electrode 120 which is directly connected to thefirst terminal 121 is a connection terminal electrode which functions asan input terminal of the gate wiring. The transparent conductive film129 formed over the second terminal 122 is a connection terminalelectrode which functions as an input terminal of the source wiring.

Then, the resist mask is removed. A cross-sectional view at this stageis illustrated in FIG. 10C. Note that FIG. 14 is a top view at thisstage.

FIGS. 15A1 and 15A2 respectively illustrate a cross-sectional view and atop view of a gate wiring terminal portion at this stage. FIG. 15A1 is across-sectional view taken along line C1-C2 of FIG. 15A2. In FIG. 15A1,a transparent conductive film 155 formed over a protective insulatingfilm 154 is a connection terminal electrode functioning as an inputterminal. Further, in the terminal portion of FIG. 15A1, a firstterminal 151 made of the same material as the gate wiring and aconnection electrode 153 made of the same material as the source wiringoverlap with each other with a gate insulating layer 152 interposedtherebetween, and are in direct contact with each other so as to beelectrically connected. In addition, the connection electrode 153 andthe transparent conductive film 155 are in direct contact with eachother through a contact hole provided in the protective insulating film154 so as to be electrically connected.

FIGS. 15B1 and 15B2 respectively illustrate a cross-sectional view and atop view of a source wiring terminal portion. FIG. 15B1 is across-sectional view taken along line D1-D2 of FIG. 15B2. In FIG. 15B1,the transparent conductive film 155 formed over the protectiveinsulating film 154 is a connection terminal electrode functioning as aninput terminal Further, in the terminal portion of FIG. 15B1, anelectrode 156 made of the same material as the gate wiring is formedbelow a second terminal 150 which is electrically connected to thesource wiring and overlaps with the second terminal 150 with the gateinsulating layer 152 interposed therebetween. The electrode 156 is notelectrically connected to the second terminal 150, and a capacitor toprevent noise or static electricity can be formed if the potential ofthe electrode 156 is set to a potential different from that of thesecond terminal 150, such as floating, GND, or 0 V. The second terminal150 is electrically connected to the transparent conductive film 155with the protective insulating film 154 interposed therebetween.

A plurality of gate wirings, source wirings, and capacitor wirings areprovided depending on the pixel density. Also in the terminal portion,the first terminal at the same potential as the gate wiring, the secondterminal at the same potential as the source wiring, the third terminalat the same potential as the capacitor wiring, and the like are eacharranged in plurality. There is no particular limitation on the numberof each of the terminals, and the number of the terminals may bedetermined by a practitioner as appropriate.

Through these six photolithography steps, the second thin filmtransistor 170 which is a bottom-gate n-channel thin film transistor andthe storage capacitor can be completed using the six photomasks. Bydisposing the thin film transistor and the storage capacitor in eachpixel of a pixel portion in which pixels are arranged in a matrix form,one of substrates for manufacturing an active matrix display device canbe obtained. In this specification, such a substrate is referred to asan active matrix substrate for convenience.

In the case of electrically connecting to the gate wiring by using thesame material as the pixel electrode, the third photolithography stepcan be omitted. Therefore, through the five photolithography steps, thesecond thin film transistor which is a bottom-gate n-channel thin filmtransistor and the storage capacitor can be completed using the fivephotomasks.

Further, in the case where a material of the second gate electrode isdifferent from a material of the pixel electrode as illustrated in FIG.1C, one photolithography step is added, so that one photomask is added.

In the case of manufacturing an active matrix liquid crystal displaydevice, an active matrix substrate and a counter substrate provided witha counter electrode are bonded to each other with a liquid crystal layerinterposed therebetween. Note that a common electrode electricallyconnected to the counter electrode on the counter substrate is providedover the active matrix substrate, and a fourth terminal electricallyconnected to the common electrode is provided in the terminal portion.The fourth terminal is provided so that the common electrode is fixed toa predetermined potential such as GND or 0 V.

Further, the pixel structure is not limited to that of FIG. 14, and anexample of a top view which is different from FIG. 14 is illustrated inFIG. 16. FIG. 16 illustrates an example in which a capacitor wiring isnot provided and a pixel electrode overlaps with a gate wiring of anadjacent pixel with a protective insulating film and a gate insulatinglayer interposed therebetween to form a storage capacitor. In that case,the capacitor wiring and the third terminal connected to the capacitorwiring can be omitted. Note that in FIG. 16, the same parts as those inFIG. 14 are denoted by the same reference numerals.

In an active matrix liquid crystal display device, pixel electrodesarranged in a matrix form are driven to form a display pattern on ascreen. Specifically, voltage is applied between a selected pixelelectrode and a counter electrode corresponding to the pixel electrode,so that a liquid crystal layer provided between the pixel electrode andthe counter electrode is optically modulated and this optical modulationis recognized as a display pattern by an observer.

In displaying moving images, a liquid crystal display device has aproblem that a long response time of liquid crystal molecules themselvescauses afterimages or blurring of moving images. In order to improve themoving-image characteristics of a liquid crystal display device, adriving method called black insertion is employed in which black isdisplayed on the whole screen every other frame period.

Alternatively, a driving method called double-frame rate driving may beemployed in which the vertical cycle is 1.5 or 2 times as long as usualto improve the moving-image characteristics.

Further alternatively, in order to improve the moving-imagecharacteristics of a liquid crystal display device, a driving method maybe employed, in which a plurality of LEDs (light-emitting diodes) or aplurality of EL light sources are used to form a surface light source asa backlight, and each light source of the surface light source isindependently driven in a pulsed manner in one frame period. As thesurface light source, three or more kinds of LEDs may be used and an LEDemitting white light may be used. Since a plurality of LEDs can becontrolled independently, the light emission timing of LEDs can besynchronized with the timing at which a liquid crystal layer isoptically modulated. According to this driving method, LEDs can bepartly turned off; therefore, an effect of reducing power consumptioncan be obtained particularly in the case of displaying an image having alarge part on which black is displayed.

By combining these driving methods, the display characteristics of aliquid crystal display device, such as moving-image characteristics, canbe improved as compared to those of conventional liquid crystal displaydevices.

The n-channel transistor obtained in this embodiment uses anIn—Ga—Zn—O-based non-single-crystal film for a channel formation regionand has favorable dynamic characteristics. Accordingly, these drivingmethods can be applied in combination with the n-channel transistor ofthis embodiment.

In manufacturing a light-emitting display device, one electrode (alsoreferred to as a cathode) of an organic light-emitting element is set toa low power supply potential such as GND or 0 V; thus, a terminalportion is provided with a fourth terminal for setting the cathode to alow power supply potential such as GND or 0 V. Also in the case ofmanufacturing a light-emitting display device, a power supply line isprovided in addition to a source wiring and a gate wiring. Accordingly,the terminal portion is provided with a fifth terminal electricallyconnected to the power supply line.

With use of the thin film transistor using the oxide semiconductor in agate line driver circuit or a source line driver circuit, manufacturingcost is reduced. Then, by directly connecting a gate electrode of thethin film transistor used in the driver circuit with a source wiring ora drain wiring, the number of contact holes can be reduced, so that adisplay device in which an area occupied by the driver circuit isreduced can be provided.

Accordingly, by applying this embodiment, a display device withexcellent electric characteristics can be provided at lower cost.

This embodiment can be freely combined with any of Embodiment 1,Embodiment 2, and Embodiment 3.

(Embodiment 5)

In this embodiment, an example of electronic paper will be described asa semiconductor device.

FIG. 17 illustrates active matrix electronic paper as an example of asemiconductor device which is different from a liquid crystal displaydevice. A thin film transistor 581 used for a pixel portion of asemiconductor device can be manufactured in a manner similar to the thinfilm transistor in the pixel portion described in Embodiment 4 and is athin film transistor including an In—Ga—Zn—O-based non-single-crystalfilm as a semiconductor layer. Further, as described in Embodiment 1, apixel portion and a driver circuit can be manufactured over the samesubstrate, and thus electronic paper can be realized at lowermanufacturing cost.

The electronic paper in FIG. 17 is an example of a display device usinga twisting ball display system. The twisting ball display system refersto a method in which spherical particles each colored in black and whiteare arranged between a first electrode layer and a second electrodelayer which are electrode layers used for a display element, and apotential difference is generated between the first electrode layer andthe second electrode layer to control the orientation of the sphericalparticles, so that display is performed.

The thin film transistor 581 is a bottom-gate thin film transistor, anda source electrode layer or a drain electrode layer is in contact with afirst electrode layer 587 through an opening formed in insulating layers583, 584, and 585, whereby the thin film transistor 581 is electricallyconnected to the first electrode layer 587. Between a pair of electrodes580 and 596, spherical particles 589 each having a black region 590 a, awhite region 590 b, and a cavity 594 around the regions which is filledwith liquid are provided between the first electrode layer 587 and asecond electrode layer 588. A space around the spherical particles 589is filled with a filler 595 such as a resin (see FIG. 17).

Instead of the twisting ball, an electrophoretic element can also beused. A microcapsule having a diameter of approximately 10 μm to 200 μmin which transparent liquid, positively-charged white microparticles,and negatively-charged black microparticles are encapsulated, is used.In the microcapsule which is provided between the first electrode layerand the second electrode layer, when an electric field is appliedbetween the first electrode layer and the second electrode layer, thewhite microparticles and the black microparticles move to oppositesides, so that white or black can be displayed. A display element usingthis principle is an electrophoretic display element and is calledelectronic paper. The electrophoretic display element has higherreflectance than a liquid crystal display element, and thus, anauxiliary light is unnecessary, power consumption is low, and a displayportion can be recognized even in a dim place. In addition, even whenpower is not supplied to the display portion, an image which has beendisplayed once can be maintained. Accordingly, a displayed image can bestored even if a semiconductor device having a display function (whichmay be referred to simply as a display device or a semiconductor deviceprovided with a display device) is distanced from an electric wavesource.

Through the above-described steps, electronic paper can be manufacturedas a semiconductor device at lower manufacturing cost.

This embodiment can be implemented in combination with the structuredescribed in Embodiment 1 or Embodiment 2 as appropriate.

(Embodiment 6)

In this embodiment, an example of a light-emitting display device willbe described as a semiconductor device. As a display element included ina display device, a light-emitting element utilizing electroluminescenceis described here.

Light-emitting elements utilizing electroluminescence are classifiedaccording to whether a light-emitting material is an organic compound oran inorganic compound. In general, the former is referred to as anorganic EL element, and the latter is referred to as an inorganic ELelement.

In an organic EL element, by application of voltage to a light-emittingelement, electrons and holes are separately injected from a pair ofelectrodes into a layer containing a light-emitting organic compound,and current flows. Then, the carriers (electrons and holes) arerecombined, so that the light-emitting organic compound is excited. Thelight-emitting organic compound returns to a ground state from theexcited state, thereby emitting light. Owing to such a mechanism, such alight-emitting element is referred to as a current-excitationlight-emitting element.

The inorganic EL elements are classified according to their elementstructures into a dispersion-type inorganic EL element and a thin-filminorganic EL element. A dispersion-type inorganic EL element has alight-emitting layer where particles of a light-emitting material aredispersed in a binder, and its light emission mechanism isdonor-acceptor recombination type light emission that utilizes a donorlevel and an acceptor level. A thin-film inorganic EL element has astructure where a light-emitting layer is sandwiched between dielectriclayers, which are further sandwiched between electrodes, and its lightemission mechanism is localized type light emission that utilizesinner-shell electron transition of metal ions. Note that an example ofusing an organic EL element as a light-emitting element is describedhere.

FIG. 18 illustrates an example of a pixel structure as an example of asemiconductor device, which can be driven by a digital time grayscalemethod.

The structure and operation of a pixel which can be driven by a digitaltime grayscale method is be described. An example is shown here in whichone pixel includes two n-channel transistors using an oxidesemiconductor layer (an In—Ga—Zn—O-based non-single-crystal film) for achannel formation region.

A pixel 6400 includes a switching transistor 6401, a driving transistor6402, a light-emitting element 6404, and a capacitor 6403. A gate of theswitching transistor 6401 is connected to a scan line 6406, a firstelectrode (one of a source electrode and a drain electrode) of theswitching transistor 6401 is connected to a signal line 6405, and asecond electrode (the other of the source electrode and the drainelectrode) of the switching transistor 6401 is connected to a gate ofthe driving transistor 6402. The gate of the driving transistor 6402 isconnected to a power supply line 6407 through the capacitor 6403, afirst electrode of the driving transistor 6402 is connected to the powersupply line 6407, and a second electrode of the driving transistor 6402is connected to a first electrode (pixel electrode) of thelight-emitting element 6404. A second electrode of the light-emittingelement 6404 corresponds to a common electrode 6408.

Note that the second electrode (the common electrode 6408) of thelight-emitting element 6404 is set to a low power supply potential. Notethat the low power supply potential is a potential satisfying the lowpower supply potential<a high power supply potential when the high powersupply potential set to the power supply line 6407 is a reference. Forexample, GND or 0 V may be set as the low power supply potential. Thedifference between the high power supply potential and the low powersupply potential is applied to the light-emitting element 6404 to flowcurrent in the light-emitting element 6404, whereby the light-emittingelement 6404 emits light. Thus, each potential is set so that thedifference between the high power supply potential and the low powersupply potential is equal to or higher than a forward threshold voltage.

Note that when the gate capacitor of the driving transistor 6402 is usedas a substitute for the capacitor 6403, the capacitor 6403 can beomitted. The gate capacitor of the driving transistor 6402 may be formedbetween a channel region and a gate electrode.

In the case of using a voltage-input voltage driving method, a videosignal is input to the gate of the driving transistor 6402 to turn thedriving transistor 6402 completely on or off. That is, the drivingtransistor 6402 operates in a linear region, and thus, voltage higherthan the voltage of the power supply line 6407 is applied to the gate ofthe driving transistor 6402. Note that voltage higher than or equal to(power supply line voltage+V_(th) of the driving transistor 6402) isapplied to the signal line 6405.

In the case of using an analog grayscale method instead of the digitaltime grayscale method, the same pixel structure as in FIG. 18 can beemployed by inputting signals in a different manner.

In the case of using the analog grayscale method, voltage higher than orequal to (forward voltage of the light-emitting element 6404+V_(th) ofthe driving transistor 6402) is applied to the gate of the drivingtransistor 6402. The forward voltage of the light-emitting element 6404refers to voltage to obtain a desired luminance, and includes at least aforward threshold voltage. By inputting a video signal to allow thedriving transistor 6402 to operate in a saturation region, current canflow in the light-emitting element 6404. In order to allow the drivingtransistor 6402 to operate in the saturation region, the potential ofthe power supply line 6407 is higher than a gate potential of thedriving transistor 6402. Since the video signal is an analog signal,current flows in the light-emitting element 6404 in response to thevideo signal, and the analog grayscale method can be performed.

Note that the pixel structure is not limited to that illustrated in FIG.18. For example, the pixel in FIG. 18 can further include a switch, aresistor, a capacitor, a transistor, a logic circuit, or the like.

Next, structures of the light-emitting elements are described withreference to FIGS. 19A, 19B, and 19C. Here, cross-sectional structuresof pixels are described taking a case where a driving TFT is the thinfilm transistor 170 illustrated in FIG. 1B, as an example. TFTs 7001,7011, and 7021, which are driving TFTs used for semiconductor devices inFIGS. 19A, 19B, and 19C, respectively, can be manufactured in a mannersimilar to the thin film transistor 170 described in Embodiment 1, andare thin film transistors with excellent electric characteristics, eachincluding an In—Ga—Zn—O-based non-single-crystal film as a semiconductorlayer.

In order to extract light emitted from the light-emitting element, atleast one of the anode and the cathode is required to be transparent. Athin film transistor and a light-emitting element are formed over asubstrate. A light-emitting element can have a top emission structure inwhich light is extracted through the surface opposite to the substrate;a bottom emission structure in which light is extracted through thesurface on the substrate side; or a dual emission structure in whichlight is extracted through the surface opposite to the substrate and thesurface on the substrate side. The pixel structure illustrated in FIG.18 can be applied to a light-emitting element having any of theseemission structures.

A light-emitting element having a top emission structure is describedwith reference to FIG. 19A.

FIG. 19A is a cross-sectional view of a pixel in the case where thedriving TFT 7001 is the thin film transistor 170 illustrated in FIG. 1Band light from a light-emitting element 7002 is emitted through an anode7005. In FIG. 19A, a cathode 7003 of the light-emitting element 7002 iselectrically connected to the driving TFT 7001, and a light-emittinglayer 7004 and the anode 7005 are stacked in this order over the cathode7003. The cathode 7003 can be made of a variety of conductive materialsas long as they have a low work function and reflect light. For example,Ca, Al, MgAg, AlLi, or the like is desirably used. The light-emittinglayer 7004 may be formed using a single layer or a plurality of layersstacked. When the light-emitting layer 7004 is formed using a pluralityof layers, the light-emitting layer 7004 is formed by stacking anelectron-injecting layer, an electron-transporting layer, alight-emitting layer, a hole-transporting layer, and a hole-injectinglayer in this order over the cathode 7003.

Not all of these layers need to be provided. The anode 7005 is made of alight-transmitting conductive material such as indium oxide containingtungsten oxide, indium zinc oxide containing tungsten oxide, indiumoxide containing titanium oxide, indium tin oxide containing titaniumoxide, indium tin oxide (hereinafter, referred to as ITO), indium zincoxide, or indium tin oxide to which silicon oxide is added.

The light-emitting element 7002 corresponds to a region where thecathode 7003 and the anode 7005 sandwich the light-emitting layer 7004.In the case of the pixel illustrated in FIG. 19A, light from thelight-emitting element 7002 is emitted through the anode 7005 asindicated by an arrow.

Note that a second gate electrode provided over the oxide semiconductorlayer in the driver circuit is preferably formed of the same material asthe cathode 7003, whereby steps can be simplified.

Next, a light-emitting element having a bottom emission structure isdescribed with reference to FIG. 19B. FIG. 19B is a cross-sectional viewof a pixel in the case where the driving TFT 7011 is the thin filmtransistor illustrated in FIG. 1A and light from a light-emittingelement 7012 is emitted through a cathode 7013. In FIG. 19B, the cathode7013 of the light-emitting element 7012 is formed over alight-transmitting conductive film 7017 which is electrically connectedto the driving TFT 7011, and a light-emitting layer 7014 and an anode7015 are stacked in this order over the cathode 7013. A light-blockingfilm 7016 for reflecting or blocking light may be formed to cover theanode 7015 when the anode 7015 has a light-transmitting property. Forthe cathode 7013, various materials can be used, like in the case ofFIG. 19A, as long as they are conductive materials having a low workfunction. Note that the cathode 7013 is formed to have a thickness thatcan transmit light (preferably, approximately 5 nm to 30 nm). Forexample, an aluminum film with a thickness of 20 nm can be used as thecathode 7013. Similarly to the case of FIG. 19A, the light-emittinglayer 7014 may be formed using either a single layer or a plurality oflayers stacked. The anode 7015 is not required to transmit light, butcan be made of a light-transmitting conductive material like in the caseof FIG. 19A. As the light-blocking film 7016, a metal which reflectslight or the like can be used for example; however, it is not limited toa metal film. For example, a resin to which black pigments are added canalso be used.

The light-emitting element 7012 corresponds to a region where thecathode 7013 and the anode 7015 sandwich the light-emitting layer 7014.In the case of the pixel illustrated in FIG. 19B, light from thelight-emitting element 7012 is emitted through the cathode 7013 side asindicated by an arrow.

Note that the second gate electrode provided over the oxidesemiconductor layer in the driver circuit is preferably formed of thesame material as the cathode 7013, whereby steps can be simplified.

Next, a light-emitting element having a dual emission structure will bedescribed with reference to FIG. 19C. In FIG. 19C, a cathode 7023 of alight-emitting element 7022 is formed over a light-transmittingconductive film 7027 which is electrically connected to the driving TFT7021, and a light-emitting layer 7024 and an anode 7025 are stacked inthis order over the cathode 7023. Like in the case of FIG. 19A, thecathode 7023 can be made of a variety of conductive materials as long asthey have a low work function. Note that the cathode 7023 is formed tohave a thickness that can transmit light. For example, a film of Alhaving a thickness of 20 nm can be used as the cathode 7023. Like inFIG. 19A, the light-emitting layer 7024 may be formed using either asingle layer or a plurality of layers stacked. The anode 7025 can bemade of a light-transmitting conductive material like in the case ofFIG. 19A.

The light-emitting element 7022 corresponds to a region where thecathode 7023, the light-emitting layer 7024, and the anode 7025 overlapwith one another. In the case of the pixel illustrated in FIG. 19C,light from the light-emitting element 7022 is emitted through both theanode 7025 and the cathode 7023 as indicated by arrows.

Note that the second gate electrode provided over the oxidesemiconductor layer in the driver circuit is preferably formed of thesame material as the conductive film 7027, whereby steps can besimplified. Alternatively, the second gate electrode provided over theoxide semiconductor layer in the driver circuit is preferably formed ofstacked layers using the same materials as the conductive film 7027 anda cathode 7023, whereby steps can be simplified and wiring resistancecan also be reduced.

Note that although an organic EL element is described here as alight-emitting element, an inorganic EL element can also be provided asa light-emitting element.

Note that in this embodiment, an example in which a thin film transistor(a driving TFT) which controls the driving of a light-emitting elementis electrically connected to the light-emitting element is described,but a structure in which a current controlling TFT is connected betweenthe driving TFT and the light-emitting element may be employed.

Note that the structure of the semiconductor device described in thisembodiment is not limited to those illustrated in FIGS. 19A, 19B, and19C, and can be modified in various ways based on the spirit of thedisclosed techniques.

Next, a top view and a cross-sectional view of a light-emitting displaypanel (also referred to as a light-emitting panel) which corresponds toone embodiment of the semiconductor device will be described withreference to FIGS. 20A and 20B. FIG. 20A is a top view of a panel inwhich a thin film transistor and a light-emitting element are sealedbetween a first substrate and a second substrate with a sealant. FIG.20B is a cross-sectional view taken along line H-I of FIG. 20A.

A sealant 4505 is provided so as to surround a pixel portion 4502,signal line driver circuits 4503 a and 4503 b, and scan line drivercircuits 4504 a and 4504 b, which are provided over a first substrate4501. In addition, a second substrate 4506 is provided over the pixelportion 4502, the signal line driver circuits 4503 a and 4503 b, and thescan line driver circuits 4504 a and 4504 b. Accordingly, the pixelportion 4502, the signal line driver circuits 4503 a and 4503 b, and thescan line driver circuits 4504 a and 4504 b are sealed together with afiller 4507, by the first substrate 4501, the sealant 4505, and thesecond substrate 4506. It is preferable that a display device be thuspackaged (sealed) with a protective film (such as a bonding film or anultraviolet curable resin film) or a cover material with highair-tightness and little degasification so that the display device isnot exposed to the outside air.

The pixel portion 4502, the signal line driver circuits 4503 a and 4503b, and the scan line driver circuits 4504 a and 4504 b formed over thefirst substrate 4501 each include a plurality of thin film transistors,and a thin film transistor 4510 included in the pixel portion 4502 and athin film transistor 4509 included in the signal line driver circuit4503 a are illustrated as an example in FIG. 20B.

As the thin film transistors 4509 and 4510, highly reliable thin filmtransistors described in Embodiment 1 including In—Ga—Zn—O-basednon-single-crystal films as semiconductor layers can be used. Further,the thin film transistor 4509 includes gate electrodes above and belowthe semiconductor layer as described in Embodiment 1 with reference toFIG. 1B.

Moreover, reference numeral 4511 denotes a light-emitting element. Afirst electrode layer 4517 that is a pixel electrode included in thelight-emitting element 4511 is electrically connected to a sourceelectrode layer or a drain electrode layer of the thin film transistor4510. Note that a structure of the light-emitting element 4511 is notlimited to the stacked structure shown in this embodiment, whichincludes the first electrode layer 4517, an electroluminescent layer4512, and the second electrode layer 4513. The structure of thelight-emitting element 4511 can be changed as appropriate depending onthe direction in which light is extracted from the light-emittingelement 4511, or the like.

A partition wall 4520 is made of an organic resin film, an inorganicinsulating film, or organic polysiloxane. It is particularly preferablethat the partition wall 4520 be formed of a photosensitive material tohave an opening over the first electrode layer 4517 so that a sidewallof the opening is formed as an inclined surface with continuouscurvature.

The electroluminescent layer 4512 may be formed using a single layer ora plurality of layers stacked.

A protective film may be formed over the second electrode layer 4513 andthe partition wall 4520 in order to prevent oxygen, hydrogen, moisture,carbon dioxide, or the like from entering into the light-emittingelement 4511. As the protective film, a silicon nitride film, a siliconnitride oxide film, a DLC film, or the like can be formed.

In addition, a variety of signals and potentials are supplied to thesignal line driver circuits 4503 a and 4503 b, the scan line drivercircuits 4504 a and 4504 b, or the pixel portion 4502 from FPCs 4518 aand 4518 b.

In this embodiment, a connection terminal electrode 4515 is formed usingthe same conductive film as the first electrode layer 4517 of thelight-emitting element 4511, and a terminal electrode 4516 is formedusing the same conductive film as the source and drain electrode layersincluded in the thin film transistors 4509 and 4510.

The connection terminal electrode 4515 is electrically connected to aterminal of the FPC 4518 a through an anisotropic conductive film 4519.

The second substrate 4506 located in the direction in which light isextracted from the light-emitting element 4511 needs to have alight-transmitting property. In that case, a light-transmitting materialsuch as a glass plate, a plastic plate, a polyester film, or an acrylicfilm is used.

As the filler 4507, an ultraviolet curable resin or a thermosettingresin can be used, in addition to an inert gas such as nitrogen orargon. For example, PVC (polyvinyl chloride), acrylic, polyimide, anepoxy resin, a silicone resin, PVB (polyvinyl butyral), or EVA (ethylenevinyl acetate) can be used.

If needed, an optical film, such as a polarizing plate, a circularlypolarizing plate (including an elliptically polarizing plate), aretardation plate (a quarter-wave plate or a half-wave plate), or acolor filter, may be provided as appropriate on a light-emitting surfaceof the light-emitting element. Furthermore, the polarizing plate or thecircularly polarizing plate may be provided with an anti-reflectionfilm. For example, anti-glare treatment by which reflected light can bediffused by projections and depressions on the surface so as to reducethe glare can be performed.

The signal line driver circuits 4503 a and 4503 b and the scan linedriver circuits 4504 a and 4504 b may be mounted as driver circuitsformed using a single crystal semiconductor film or a polycrystallinesemiconductor film over a single crystal semiconductor substrate or aninsulating substrate which is separately prepared.

Alternatively, only the signal line driver circuits or part thereof, oronly the scan line driver circuits or part thereof may be separatelyformed and mounted. This embodiment is not limited to the structureillustrated in FIGS. 20A and 20B.

Through the above-described steps, a light-emitting display device (adisplay panel) can be manufactured at lower manufacturing cost.

This embodiment can be implemented in combination with the structuredescribed in Embodiment 1 or Embodiment 2 as appropriate.

(Embodiment 7)

In this embodiment, a top view and a cross-sectional view of a liquidcrystal display panel which corresponds one embodiment of thesemiconductor device will be described with reference to FIGS. 21A1,21A2 and 21B. FIGS. 21A1 and 21A2 are top views of a panel in which thinfilm transistors 4010 and 4011 each including the In—Ga—Zn—O-basednon-single-crystal film formed over a first substrate 4001, which isdescribed in Embodiment 1, as a semiconductor layer, and a liquidcrystal element 4013 are sealed between the first substrate 4001 and asecond substrate 4006 with a sealant 4005. FIG. 21B is a cross-sectionalview taken along line M-N of FIGS. 21A1 and 21A2.

The sealant 4005 is provided to surround a pixel portion 4002 and a scanline driver circuit 4004 that are provided over the first substrate4001. The second substrate 4006 is provided over the pixel portion 4002and the scan line driver circuit 4004. Therefore, the pixel portion 4002and the scan line driver circuit 4004 are sealed together with a liquidcrystal layer 4008, by the first substrate 4001, the sealant 4005, andthe second substrate 4006. A signal line driver circuit 4003 that isformed using a single crystal semiconductor film or a polycrystallinesemiconductor film over a substrate separately prepared is mounted in aregion different from the region surrounded by the sealant 4005 over thefirst substrate 4001.

Note that there is no particular limitation on the connection method ofa driver circuit which is separately formed, and COG, wire bonding, TAB,or the like can be used. FIG. 21A1 illustrates an example of mountingthe signal line driver circuit 4003 by COG, and FIG. 21A2 illustrates anexample of mounting the signal line driver circuit 4003 by TAB.

The pixel portion 4002 and the scan line driver circuit 4004 providedover the first substrate 4001 each include a plurality of thin filmtransistors. FIG. 21B illustrates the thin film transistor 4010 includedin the pixel portion 4002 and the thin film transistor 4011 included inthe scan line driver circuit 4004. Insulating layers 4020 and 4021 areprovided over the thin film transistors 4010 and 4011.

As the thin film transistors 4010 and 4011, the thin film transistordescribed in Embodiment 1 including an In—Ga—Zn—O-basednon-single-crystal film as semiconductor layer can be used. The thinfilm transistor 4011 corresponds to the thin film transistor includingthe back-gate electrode illustrated in FIG. 2A of Embodiment 2.

A pixel electrode layer 4030 included in the liquid crystal element 4013is electrically connected to the thin film transistor 4010. A counterelectrode layer 4031 of the liquid crystal element 4013 is formed on thesecond substrate 4006. A portion where the pixel electrode layer 4030,the counter electrode layer 4031, and the liquid crystal layer 4008overlap with one another corresponds to the liquid crystal element 4013.Note that the pixel electrode layer 4030 and the counter electrode layer4031 are provided with an insulating layer 4032 and an insulating layer4033, respectively, each of which functions as an alignment film. Theliquid crystal layer 4008 is sandwiched between the pixel electrodelayer 4030 and the counter electrode layer 4031 with the insulatinglayers 4032 and 4033 interposed therebetween.

Note that the first substrate 4001 and the second substrate 4006 can bemade of glass, metal (typically, stainless steel), ceramic, or plastic.As plastic, a fiberglass-reinforced plastics (FRP) plate, a polyvinylfluoride (PVF) film, a polyester film, or an acrylic resin film can beused. Alternatively, a sheet with a structure in which an aluminum foilis sandwiched between PVF films or polyester films can be used.

Reference numeral 4035 denotes a columnar spacer obtained by selectivelyetching an insulating film and is provided to control the distancebetween the pixel electrode layer 4030 and the counter electrode layer4031 (a cell gap). Alternatively, a spherical spacer may be used. Thecounter electrode layer 4031 is electrically connected to a commonpotential line provided over the same substrate as the thin filmtransistor 4010. With the use of the common connection portion, thecounter electrode layer 4031 is electrically connected to the commonpotential line through conductive particles provided between the pair ofsubstrates. Note that the conductive particles are contained in thesealant 4005.

Alternatively, a liquid crystal showing a blue phase for which analignment film is unnecessary may be used. A blue phase is one of theliquid crystal phases, which is generated just before a cholestericphase changes into an isotropic phase while temperature of cholestericliquid crystal is increased. Since the blue phase is only generatedwithin a narrow range of temperature, a liquid crystal compositioncontaining a chiral agent at 5 wt % or more is used for the liquidcrystal layer 4008 in order to improve the temperature range. The liquidcrystal composition which includes a liquid crystal showing a blue phaseand a chiral agent has a small response time of 10 μs to 100 μs, hasoptical isotropy, which makes the alignment process unneeded, and has asmall viewing angle dependence.

Note that although an example of a transmissive liquid crystal displaydevice is described in this embodiment, this embodiment can also beapplied to a reflective liquid crystal display device or asemi-transmissive liquid crystal display device.

In this embodiment, an example of the liquid crystal display device isshown in which a polarizing plate is provided on the outer surface ofthe substrate (on the viewer side) and a coloring layer and an electrodelayer used for a display element are provided on the inner surface ofthe substrate in this order; however, the polarizing plate may beprovided on the inner surface of the substrate. The stacked structure ofthe polarizing plate and the coloring layer is not limited to that shownin this embodiment and may be set as appropriate depending on materialsof the polarizing plate and the coloring layer or conditions ofmanufacturing steps. Furthermore, a light-blocking film functioning as ablack matrix may be provided.

In this embodiment, in order to reduce the surface roughness of the thinfilm transistor and to improve the reliability of the thin filmtransistor, the thin film transistor obtained by Embodiment 1 is coveredwith the insulating layers (the insulating layer 4020 and the insulatinglayer 4021) functioning as a protective film or a planarizing insulatingfilm. Note that the protective film is provided to prevent entry ofimpurities floating in the air, such as an organic substance, a metalsubstance, or moisture, and is preferably a dense film. The protectivefilm may be formed by sputtering to be a single-layer film or amulti-layer film of a silicon oxide film, a silicon nitride film, asilicon oxynitride film, a silicon nitride oxide film, an aluminum oxidefilm, an aluminum nitride film, an aluminum oxynitride film, and/or analuminum nitride oxide film. Although this embodiment shows an exampleof forming the protective film by sputtering, there is no particularlimitation on this method and a variety of methods such as a PCVD methodmay be employed. In part of the driver circuit, this protective filmfunctions as the second gate insulating layer and a thin film transistorin which a back gate is provided over the second gate insulating layeris included.

In this embodiment, the insulating layer 4020 having a stacked structureis formed as the protective film. As a first layer of the insulatinglayer 4020, a silicon oxide film is formed by sputtering. The use of thesilicon oxide film as the protective film has an effect of preventing ahillock of an aluminum film used for the source and drain electrodelayers.

The insulating layer is also formed as a second layer of the protectivefilm. In this embodiment, as a second layer of the insulating layer4020, a silicon nitride film is formed by sputtering. The use of thesilicon nitride film as the protective film can prevent ions such assodium ions from entering a semiconductor region, thereby suppressingvariations in electric characteristics of the TFT.

After the protective film is formed, the semiconductor layer may beannealed (at 300° C. to 400° C.). Further, after the protective film isformed, a back gate is formed.

The insulating layer 4021 is formed as the planarizing insulating film.For the insulating layer 4021, an organic material having heatresistance, such as polyimide, acrylic, benzocyclobutene, polyamide, orepoxy, can be used. Other than such organic materials, it is alsopossible to use a low-dielectric constant material (a low-k material), asiloxane-based resin, PSG (phosphosilicate glass), BPSG(borophosphosilicate glass), or the like. Note that the insulating layer4021 may be formed by stacking a plurality of insulating films formed ofthese materials.

Note that a siloxane-based resin is a resin formed from a siloxanematerial as a starting material and having the bond of Si—O—Si. As forthe siloxane-based resin, an organic group (e.g., an alkyl group or anaryl group) or a fluoro group may be used as a substituent. In addition,the organic group may include a fluoro group.

There is no particular limitation on the method for forming theinsulating layer 4021, and the insulating layer 4021 can be formed,depending on the material, by sputtering, SOG, spin coating, dipping,spray coating, droplet discharging (e.g., ink-jet, screen printing, oroffset printing), doctor knife, roll coater, curtain coater, knifecoater, or the like. In the case where the insulating layer 4021 isformed of a material solution, the semiconductor layer may be annealed(at 300° C. to 400° C.) at the same time of a baking step. The bakingstep of the insulating layer 4021 also functions as the annealing stepof the semiconductor layer, whereby a semiconductor device can bemanufactured efficiently.

The pixel electrode layer 4030 and the counter electrode layer 4031 canbe made of a light-transmitting conductive material such as indium oxidecontaining tungsten oxide, indium zinc oxide containing tungsten oxide,indium oxide containing titanium oxide, indium tin oxide containingtitanium oxide, indium tin oxide (hereinafter, referred to as ITO),indium zinc oxide, or indium tin oxide to which silicon oxide is added.

A conductive composition containing a conductive high molecule (alsoreferred to as a conductive polymer) can be used for the pixel electrodelayer 4030 and the counter electrode layer 4031. The pixel electrodemade of the conductive composition preferably has a sheet resistance of10000 ohms per square or less and a light transmittance of 70% or moreat a wavelength of 550 nm. Furthermore, the resistivity of theconductive high molecule contained in the conductive composition ispreferably 0.1 Ω·cm or less.

As the conductive high molecule, a so-called π-electron conjugatedconductive molecule can be used. For example, it is possible to usepolyaniline or a derivative thereof, polypyrrole or a derivativethereof, polythiophene or a derivative thereof, or a copolymer of two ormore kinds of them.

In addition, a variety of signals and potentials are supplied to thesignal line driver circuit 4003 that is formed separately, and the scanline driver circuit 4004 or the pixel portion 4002 from an FPC 4018.

In this embodiment, a connection terminal electrode 4015 is formed usingthe same conductive film as the pixel electrode layer 4030 included inthe liquid crystal element 4013, and a terminal electrode 4016 is formedusing the same conductive film as source and drain electrode layers ofthe thin film transistors 4010 and 4011.

The connection terminal electrode 4015 is electrically connected to aterminal included in the FPC 4018 through an anisotropic conductive film4019.

Note that FIGS. 21A1 and 21A2 illustrate an example in which the signalline driver circuit 4003 is formed separately and mounted on the firstsubstrate 4001; however, this embodiment is not limited to thisstructure. The scan line driver circuit may be separately formed andthen mounted, or only part of the signal line driver circuit or part ofthe scan line driver circuit may be separately formed and then mounted.

FIG. 22 illustrates an example of a liquid crystal display module whichis formed as a semiconductor device by using a TFT substrate 2600.

FIG. 22 illustrates an example of a liquid crystal display module, inwhich the TFT substrate 2600 and a counter substrate 2601 are bonded toeach other with a sealant 2602, and a pixel portion 2603 including a TFTor the like, a display element 2604 including a liquid crystal layer, acoloring layer 2605, and a polarizing plate 2606 are provided betweenthe substrates to form a display region. The coloring layer 2605 isnecessary to perform color display. In the case of the RGB system,respective coloring layers corresponding to colors of red, green, andblue are provided for respective pixels. The polarizing plate 2606, apolarizing plate 2607, and a diffusion plate 2613 are provided outsidethe TFT substrate 2600 and the counter substrate 2601. A light sourceincludes a cold cathode tube 2610 and a reflective plate 2611. A circuitboard 2612 is connected to a wiring circuit portion 2608 of the TFTsubstrate 2600 through a flexible wiring board 2609 and includes anexternal circuit such as a control circuit or a power supply circuit.The polarizing plate and the liquid crystal layer may be stacked with aretardation plate interposed therebetween.

For the liquid crystal display module, a TN (twisted nematic) mode, anIPS (in-plane-switching) mode, an FFS (fringe field switching) mode, anMVA (multi-domain vertical alignment) mode, a PVA (patterned verticalalignment) mode, an ASM (axially symmetric aligned micro-cell) mode, anOCB (optical compensated birefringence) mode, an FLC (ferroelectricliquid crystal) mode, an AFLC (antiferroelectric liquid crystal) mode,or the like can be used.

Through the above-described steps, a liquid crystal display device canbe manufactured as a semiconductor device at lower manufacturing cost.

This embodiment can be combined with the structure described inEmbodiment 1, Embodiment 2, or Embodiment 3 as appropriate.

(Embodiment 8)

A semiconductor device according to one embodiment of the presentinvention can be applied to a variety of electronic appliances(including game machines). As the electronic appliances, for example,there are a television device (also referred to as a TV or a televisionreceiver), a monitor for a computer or the like, a digital camera, adigital video camera, a digital photo frame, a cellular phone (alsoreferred to as a mobile phone or a portable telephone device), aportable game machine, a portable information terminal, an audioreproducing device, and a large game machine such as a pachinko machine.

FIG. 23A illustrates an example of a portable information terminaldevice 9200. The portable information terminal device 9200 incorporatesa computer and thus can process various types of data. An example of theportable information terminal device 9200 is a personal digitalassistant (PDA).

The portable information terminal device 9200 has two housings, ahousing 9201 and a housing 9203. The housing 9201 and the housing 9203are joined with a joining portion 9207 such that the portableinformation terminal device 9200 can be foldable. A display portion 9202is incorporated in the housing 9201, and the housing 9203 includes akeyboard 9205. Needless to say, the structure of the portableinformation terminal device 9200 is not limited to the above structure,and the structure may include at least a thin film transistor having aback-gate electrode, and additional accessory may be provided asappropriate. By forming a driver circuit and a pixel portion over thesame substrate, a portable information terminal device including a thinfilm transistor having excellent electric characteristics can beprovided at lower manufacturing cost.

FIG. 23B illustrates an example of a digital video camera 9500. Thedigital video camera 9500 includes a display portion 9503 incorporatedin a housing 9501 and various operation portions. Note that there is noparticular limitation on the structure of the digital video camera 9500,and the structure may include at least a thin film transistor having aback-gate electrode, and additional accessory may be provided asappropriate. By forming a driver circuit and a pixel portion over thesame substrate, a digital video camera including a thin film transistorhaving excellent electric characteristics can be provided at lowermanufacturing cost.

FIG. 23C illustrates an example of a cellular phone 9100. The cellularphone 9100 has two housings, a housing 9102 and a housing 9101. Thehousing 9102 and the housing 9101 are joined with a joining portion 9103such that the cellular phone is foldable. A display portion 9104 isincorporated in the housing 9102, and the housing 9101 includesoperation keys 9106. Note that there is no particular limitation on thestructure of the cellular phone 9100, and the structure may include atleast a thin film transistor having a back-gate electrode, andadditional accessory may be provided as appropriate. By forming a drivercircuit and a pixel portion over the same substrate, a cellular phoneincluding a thin film transistor having excellent electriccharacteristics can be provided at lower manufacturing cost.

FIG. 23D illustrates an example of a portable computer 9400. Thecomputer 9400 has two housings, a housing 9401 and a housing 9404. Thehousing 9401 and the housing 9404 are joined such that the computer canbe open and closed. A display portion 9402 is incorporated in thehousing 9401, and the housing 9404 includes a key board 9403. Note thatthere is no particular limitation on the structure of the computer 9400,and the structure may include at least a thin film transistor having aback-gate electrode, and additional accessory may be provided asappropriate. By forming a driver circuit and a pixel portion over thesame substrate, a computer including a thin film transistor havingexcellent electric characteristics can be provided at lowermanufacturing cost.

FIG. 24A illustrates an example of a television device 9600. A displayportion 9603 is incorporated in a housing 9601 of the television device9600. The display portion 9603 can display images. Here, the housing9601 is supported on a stand 9605.

The television device 9600 can be operated by an operation switch of thehousing 9601 or a separate remote controller 9610. The channel andvolume can be controlled with operation keys 9609 of the remotecontroller 9610 and the images displayed in the display portion 9603 canbe controlled. Moreover, the remote controller 9610 may have a displayportion 9607 in which the information output from the remote controller9610 is displayed.

Note that the television device 9600 is provided with a receiver, amodem, and the like. With the use of the receiver, general televisionbroadcasting can be received. Moreover, when the display device isconnected to a communication network with or without wires via themodem, one-way (from a sender to a receiver) or two-way (between asender and a receiver or between receivers) information communicationcan be performed.

FIG. 24B illustrates an example of a digital photo frame 9700. Forexample, a display portion 9703 is incorporated in a housing 9701 of thedigital photo frame 9700. The display portion 9703 can display a varietyof images, for example, display image data taken with a digital cameraor the like, so that the digital photo frame can function in a mannersimilar to a general picture frame.

Note that the digital photo frame 9700 is provided with an operationportion, an external connection terminal (such as a USB terminal or aterminal which can be connected to a variety of cables including a USBcable), a storage medium inserting portion, and the like. Thesestructures may be incorporated on the same plane as the display portion;however, they are preferably provided on the side surface or rearsurface of the display portion because the design is improved. Forexample, a memory including image data taken with a digital camera isinserted into the storage medium inserting portion of the digital photoframe and the image data is imported. Then, the imported image data canbe displayed in the display portion 9703.

The digital photo frame 9700 may send and receive informationwirelessly. In this case, desired image data can be wirelessly importedinto the digital photo frame 9700 and can be displayed therein.

FIG. 25A illustrates an example of a cellular phone 1000 which isdifferent from the cellular phone of FIG. 23C. The cellular phone 1000includes a housing 1001 in which a display portion 1002 is incorporated,and moreover includes an operation button 1003, an external connectionport 1004, a speaker 1005, a microphone 1006, and the like.

Information can be input to the cellular phone 1000 illustrated in FIG.25A by touching the display portion 1002 with a finger or the like.Moreover, operation such as making a call or text messaging can beperformed by touching the display portion 1002 with a finger or thelike.

There are mainly three screen modes of the display portion 1002. Thefirst mode is a display mode mainly for displaying an image. The secondmode is an input mode mainly for inputting information such as text. Thethird mode is a display-and-input mode in which two modes of the displaymode and the input mode are mixed.

For example, in the case of making a call or text messaging, the displayportion 1002 is set to a text input mode where text input is mainlyperformed, and text input operation can be performed on a screen. Inthis case, it is preferable to display a keyboard or number buttons onalmost the entire screen of the display portion 1002.

When a detection device including a sensor for detecting inclination,such as a gyroscope or an acceleration sensor, is provided inside thecellular phone 1000, display in the screen of the display portion 1002can be automatically switched by judging the direction of the cellularphone 1000 (whether the cellular phone 1000 is placed horizontally orvertically for a landscape mode or a portrait mode).

Further, the screen modes are switched by touching the display portion1002 or operating the operation button 1003 of the housing 1001.Alternatively, the screen modes can be switched depending on kinds ofimages displayed in the display portion 1002. For example, when a signalfor an image displayed in the display portion is data of moving images,the screen mode is switched to the display mode. When the signal is textdata, the screen mode is switched to the input mode.

Moreover, in the input mode, when input by touching the display portion1002 is not performed within a specified period while a signal detectedby an optical sensor in the display portion 1002 is detected, the screenmode may be controlled so as to be switched from the input mode to thedisplay mode.

The display portion 1002 can also function as an image sensor. Forexample, an image of a palm print, a fingerprint, or the like is takenby touching the display portion 1002 with the palm or the finger,whereby personal authentication can be performed. Moreover, when abacklight which emits near-infrared light or a sensing light sourcewhich emits near-infrared light is provided in the display portion, afinger vein, a palm vein, or the like can be taken.

FIG. 25B also illustrates an example of a cellular phone. The cellularphone in FIG. 25B includes an a display device 9410 in which a displayportion 9412 and an operation button 9413 are included in a housing9411, and a communication device 9420 in which operation buttons 9422,an external input terminal 9423, a microphone 9424, a speaker 9405, anda light-emitting portion 9406 that emits light when a phone call isreceived are included in a housing 9421. The display device 9410 havinga display function can be detached from or attached to the communicationdevice 9420 having a telephone function in two directions as indicatedby arrows. Thus, a minor axis of the display device 9410 can be attachedto a minor axis of the communication device 9420, and a major axis ofthe display device 9410 can be attached to a major axis of thecommunication device 9420. In addition, when only the display functionis required, the display device 9410 can be detached from thecommunication device 9420 so that the display device 9410 can beseparately used. Images or input information can be transmitted orreceived between the communication device 9400 and the display device9410 through wired communication or wireless communication. Thecommunication device 9420 and the display device 9410 each have arechargeable battery.

(Embodiment 9)

In this embodiment, an example of a display device including a thin filmtransistor having a structure in which a second oxide semiconductorlayer (an n⁺ layer) is included between a source wiring (or a drainwiring) and a semiconductor layer is illustrated in FIG. 26. Note thatin FIG. 26, the same parts as those in FIG. 1A are denoted with the samereference numerals.

A first thin film transistor 480 illustrated in FIG. 26 is a thin filmtransistor used for a driver circuit, and is an example in which an n⁺layer 406 a is provided between the oxide semiconductor layer 405 andthe first wiring 409 and an n⁺ layer 406 b is provided between the oxidesemiconductor layer 405 and the second wiring 410. The first thin filmtransistor 480 includes the first gate electrode 401 below the oxidesemiconductor layer 405 and the second gate electrode 470 above theoxide semiconductor layer 405.

Further, a second thin film transistor 481 is a thin film transistorused for a pixel portion, and is an example in which n⁺ layers 104 a and104 b are provided between the oxide semiconductor layer 103 and thesource and drain electrode layers 105 a and 105 b, respectively.

The n⁺ layers are oxide semiconductor layers with lower resistance thanthe oxide semiconductor layer 405 and the oxide semiconductor layer 103,and function as source regions and drain regions.

The n⁺ layer is formed by sputtering using In₂O₃, Ga₂O₃, and ZnO as atarget including at a ratio of In₂O₃:Ga₂O₃:ZnO=1:1:1 under conditions inwhich the pressure is 0.4 Pa, power is 500 W, film formation temperatureis a room temperature, and an argon gas is introduced at a flow rate of40 sccm. Even when a target of In₂O₃, Ga₂O₃, and ZnO(In₂O₃:Ga₂O₃:ZnO=1:1:1) is intentionally used, an In—Ga—Zn—O-basednon-single-crystal film containing crystal grains with sizes of 1 nm to10 nm immediately after the film formation is formed in some cases. Notethat when a ratio of components of the target, a film formation pressure(0.1 Pa to 2.0 Pa), power (250 W to 3000 W: 8 inchφ), temperature (roomtemperature to 100° C.), film formation conditions of reactivesputtering, and the like are adjusted as appropriate, existence ofcrystal grains and density of the crystal grains can be controlled, andthe diameter of the crystal grains can also be controlled in a range of1 nm to 10 nm A thickness of the second In—Ga—Zn—O-basednon-single-crystal film is 5 nm to 20 nm. Needless to say, in the casewhere crystal grains are contained in the film, the size of thecontained crystal grains does not exceed the film thickness. In thisembodiment, the thickness of the second In—Ga—Zn—O-basednon-single-crystal film is 5 nm.

The semiconductor device of this embodiment has a structure in which then⁺ layers are included between the wiring and the semiconductor layer,and thus operates thermally stably as compared with the semiconductordevice including the Schottky junction of Embodiment 1.

Further, a conductive film which is to be the source and drain electrodelayers 105 a and 105 b and an oxide semiconductor film which is to bethe n⁺ layers are stacked by a sputtering method without being exposedto the atmosphere, so that the source electrode layer and the drainelectrode layer are not exposed, and thus dust can be prevented frombeing attached thereto during the manufacturing process.

This embodiment can be implemented in combination with any of thestructures described in the other embodiments, as appropriate.

This application is based on Japanese Patent Application Ser. No.2008-274650 filed with Japanese Patent Office on Oct. 24, 2008, theentire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.

What is claimed is:
 1. A semiconductor device comprising: a transistorcomprising: a first gate electrode on an insulating surface; an oxidesemiconductor layer over the first gate electrode; a source electrodeand a drain electrode electrically connected to the oxide semiconductorlayer; and a second gate electrode over the oxide semiconductor layer;and a terminal comprising: a first conductive layer on the insulatingsurface; a first insulating layer including an opening over the firstconductive layer; a second conductive layer electrically connected tothe first conductive layer through the opening; and a transparentconductive layer over the second conductive layer, wherein the firstgate electrode and the first conductive layer are formed by patterning afirst layer, wherein the source electrode, the drain electrode, and thesecond conductive layer are formed by patterning a second layer, andwherein the second gate electrode and the transparent conductive layerare formed by patterning a third layer.
 2. The semiconductor deviceaccording to claim 1, wherein the first layer comprises a materialselected from molybdenum, titanium, chromium, tantalum, tungsten,aluminum, copper, neodymium, and scandium.
 3. The semiconductor deviceaccording to claim 1, wherein the second layer comprises a materialselected from aluminum, chromium, tantalum, titanium, molybdenum, andtungsten.
 4. The semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein thetransparent conductive layer is electrically connected to a flexibleprinted circuit.
 5. The semiconductor device according to claim 1,wherein the transparent conductive layer is over and in contact with thesecond conductive layer.
 6. The semiconductor device according to claim1, wherein the transistor is included in a driver circuit.
 7. Asemiconductor device comprising: a transistor comprising: a first gateelectrode on an insulating surface; an oxide semiconductor layer overthe first gate electrode, the oxide semiconductor layer comprisingindium and zinc; a source electrode and a drain electrode electricallyconnected to the oxide semiconductor layer; and a second gate electrodeover the oxide semiconductor layer; and a terminal comprising: a firstconductive layer on the insulating surface; a first insulating layerincluding an opening over the first conductive layer; a secondconductive layer electrically connected to the first conductive layerthrough the opening; and a transparent conductive layer over the secondconductive layer, the transparent conductive layer comprising indium andzinc, wherein the first gate electrode and the first conductive layerare formed by patterning a first layer, wherein the source electrode,the drain electrode, and the second conductive layer are formed bypatterning a second layer, wherein the second gate electrode and thetransparent conductive layer are formed by patterning a third layer, andwherein a width of the second gate electrode is larger than a width ofthe first gate electrode.
 8. The semiconductor device according to claim7, wherein the first layer comprises a material selected frommolybdenum, titanium, chromium, tantalum, tungsten, aluminum, copper,neodymium, and scandium.
 9. The semiconductor device according to claim7, wherein the second layer comprises a material selected from aluminum,chromium, tantalum, titanium, molybdenum, and tungsten.
 10. Thesemiconductor device according to claim 7, wherein the transparentconductive layer is electrically connected to a flexible printedcircuit.
 11. The semiconductor device according to claim 7, wherein thetransparent conductive layer is over and in contact with the secondconductive layer.
 12. The semiconductor device according to claim 7,wherein the transistor is included in a driver circuit.
 13. Asemiconductor device comprising: a first transistor comprising: a firstgate electrode on an insulating surface; a first insulating layer overthe first gate electrode; an oxide semiconductor layer over the firstinsulating layer, the oxide semiconductor layer comprising indium andzinc; a source electrode and a drain electrode electrically connected tothe oxide semiconductor layer; a second insulating layer over the sourceelectrode and the drain electrode; and a second gate electrode over thesecond insulating layer; a second transistor comprising: a gateelectrode on the insulating surface; the first insulating layer over thegate electrode; an oxide semiconductor layer over the first insulatinglayer, the oxide semiconductor layer comprising indium and zinc; asource electrode and a drain electrode electrically connected to theoxide semiconductor layer; the second insulating layer over the oxidesemiconductor layer; and a pixel electrode electrically connected to thesource electrode or the drain electrode; and a terminal comprising: afirst conductive layer on the insulating surface; the first insulatinglayer including an opening over the first conductive layer; a secondconductive layer electrically connected to the first conductive layerthrough the opening; and a transparent conductive layer over the secondconductive layer, the transparent conductive layer comprising indium andzinc, wherein the first gate electrode of the first transistor, the gateelectrode of the second transistor, and the first conductive layer areformed by patterning a first layer, wherein the source electrode of thefirst transistor, the drain electrode of the first transistor, thesource electrode of the second transistor, the drain electrode of thesecond transistor, and the second conductive layer are formed bypatterning a second layer, and wherein the second gate electrode of thefirst transistor, the pixel electrode, and the transparent conductivelayer are formed by patterning a third layer.
 14. The semiconductordevice according to claim 13, wherein the first layer comprises amaterial selected from molybdenum, titanium, chromium, tantalum,tungsten, aluminum, copper, neodymium, and scandium.
 15. Thesemiconductor device according to claim 13, wherein the second layercomprises a material selected from aluminum, chromium, tantalum,titanium, molybdenum, and tungsten.
 16. The semiconductor deviceaccording to claim 13, wherein the transparent conductive layer iselectrically connected to a flexible printed circuit.
 17. Thesemiconductor device according to claim 13, wherein the transparentconductive layer is over and in contact with the second conductivelayer.
 18. The semiconductor device according to claim 13, wherein thefirst transistor is included in a driver circuit and the secondtransistor is included in a pixel portion.